


The Dragonborn's Choice and Skyrim's Fate

by Jcat99



Series: Leilani's Life [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Companions Questline, Eventual Smut, F/M, Family Issues, Fate & Destiny, Flashbacks, Resentment, Skyrim Main Quest, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-10-12 01:46:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 71,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17458262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jcat99/pseuds/Jcat99
Summary: Leilani EdenBurrow is a Breton far from the safety of High Rock, faced with death and seemingly inescapable destiny she must decide who she must become. The dragonborn of legend? Or will she simply tackle this like she tackles all of her problems? By running. With a terrible childhood behind her and a very terrifying future laying ahead she meets a introverted companion who helps guide her through it all. But only after she has gained his trust through trial and error. There is always a catch to happiness isn't there??





	1. Harsh Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own any characters or quests mentioned in this work; my only creation is that fiery little breton and the details surrounding her life. As far as the story goes I hope you enjoy it; comments and recommendations for future chapters are always welcome. Everything else can be credited to Bethesda and their amazing game.

Cold, sore, and unconscious. Leilani has certainly seen better days, but here she was in unknown territory far from her native home of High Rock; all she had wanted to do was see her family again but apparently that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. She started to wake from her forced slumber only to realize that her hands were bound and her armour had been removed and replaced with tattered prisoner clothing. When her eyes adjusted to the harsh sunlight she noticed that she wasn’t alone in this situation. A rough looking nord with dirty blonde hair and was seated across from her and to his left was another man dressed as she was, looking to her right she saw another nord who had cloth tied around his mouth to prevent him from talking, she thought that this man had looked familiar but she didn’t let her mind dwell on it because she had bigger problems to deal with.

“Finally you’re awake….”

She faced the Nord across from her with weary eyes, she didn’t reply to him and decided to remain silent.

“Tried to cross the border huh? Just like that thief over there.”

She flicked her eyes toward the man in tattered rags quickly before tuning out what he had to say about what the Nord had said. Deep in her thoughts Leilani was cursing the day she decided to come to the cold harsh province of Skyrim in the first place. She looked ahead of the wagon that was carting them along the stoney road and noticed town gates coming into view. At least I can get an idea of where in Nirn I am while they resupply, the man beside her shifted and glared at something the thief had said but she ignored it. Her bindings were digging into her wrists and she had half a mind to gnaw through the ropes at this point. They reached the city gates and heard someone shout about General Tullius. Did I get involved in Imperial business?! This is going to be a lot harder to get out of then I thought. From what her father had told her of the Imperial armies she had learned that they always stuck to strict rules and never did anything unnecessarily, maybe if she could just talk to one of the soldiers and explain herself she could get her freedom and belongings back.

 “Ah, we’re in Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here….”

Ugh; I have better things to do other than listen to your life story buddy, why do nords talk so much anyway? Then she heard something about the Thalmor and that snapped her out of her thoughts, she looked to where the Nord was motioning and saw a female high elf atop of a horse talking to who she could only assume was General Tullius. Then she remembered who the man was next to her.

“You’re Ulfric Stormcloak…….this is worse than I thought”

The blonde nord turned back to her with disbelieving eyes.

“Did you not hear me say that a few minutes ago? Were you not listening at all?”

She glared at the man;

“Sorry my mind was more set on how to get out of this situation rather than listen to idle chatter of my fellow captives”.

She noticed the wagons were stopping and that prisoners were headed towards the headsman's block, she knew that this was a life threatening situation with minimal chance of survival. No…..NO this can’t be how I leave this world. I had so much I wanted to accomplish. I needed to prove myself…….I-I don’t want to die anymore….. The wagon jolted to a stop and her fellow passengers started filing out of the wagon. She mindlessly followed suit not knowing how to avoid this situation. She heard name after name called in order to identify their captured prey;

“Ralof of RiverWood.”

The blonde nord stepped forward and followed Ulfric to the headsman’s ax, then the man holding the list grabbed her attention.

“Prisoner step forward. Who are you?”

She didn’t know how to talk herself out of this situation, how could she make thirty imperial soldiers believe she was no threat to them. She noticed the lifeless body of the thief who had tried to run and decided that her fate would not be the same as his. She straightened herself and looked then man dead in the eyes;

“I am Leilani Edenburrow, a Breton, I wasn’t supposed to be here sir.”

He looked her up and down suspiciously and her looked over to his commanding officer;

“What should we do? She’s not on the list.”

Leilani had a small glimmer of hope when he had said that. But his officer squashed it with her boot;

“List or not she goes to the block.”

No, please someone stop this…

“Sorry prisoner, we will send your remains back to High Rock for proper burial. To the block prisoner nice and easy.”

She turned to where the other captives stood in a crescent shape around the chopping block. Her mind was racing as the priest read them their last rites for the afterlife. A man to her right had enough of this ceremony and went towards the executioner, he was pushed to his knees and swiftly beheaded. Leilani turned her head from the action while listening to the ax rip through the man’s flesh and bone, her stomach turned as she slowly turned back to see the man’s body slowly fall after his head had fallen into the basket. She fought the bile rising into her throat and felt her heart rate speed up.

“Next the Breton!”

Then she heard a distant roar and looked around to see that most others had heard it as well, whispers ran through the crowd but all Leilani heard was the harsh voice of her captor once more;

“I said next Prisoner!”

Leilani’s feet seemed to be made of lead as she trudged forward to meet her end.       

She felt a hand on her shoulder force her to her knees and soon her face was smacked onto blood soaked wood, her emerald eyes meeting with the darkness of the executioner’s. Another roar echoed through the town but all she could focus on was the sunlight glinting off the ax that was rising above her head. Then in a moment her world shook, literally. A massive black dragon had landed on top of the watchtower and distracted the entire town from their previous activities, the large beast seemed to release a powerful blast of magic from is gaping maw and she soon lost consciousness.She was soon awakened by Ralof who dragged her onto her feet once more and pulled her behind him into a nearby tower. She was still very unsteady on her feet while watching Ralof talk with Ulfric about the dragon attack raging outside the tower. Ralof grabbed her again and pushed her towards the steps leading to the upper levels of the tower, they reached the second floor when stones were flung from the walls and flames started pouring in from the dragon lurking just outside.

“You need to jump, see the inn on the other side? Go through there and we will follow when we can.”

Leilani still wasn’t processing her current situation and Ralof pretty much pushed her out of the tower and into the inn a short distance away. She rolled when she hit the ground and slowly got back on her feet after her world had stopped spinning. She then regained her bearings and realized that she now need to fend for her life and make it to a safe place. She heard a familiar voice calling to someone outside of the inn and she decided that direction was her best chance at survival. The steps down to the main floor of the inn were now blocked by burning support beams, noticing the obvious whole in the floor in front of her she jumped through it and ran outside into the chaos. Watching as the black dragon landed a short distance away from a boy running to safety and barely escaping the flames erupting from the monster before them. The soldier she recognized had spotted her and grabbed her arm.

“Still alive prisoner? Stay with me if you want to remain that way.”

He dragged her through the burning town and along a wall where the beast’s wings encased them as it laid siege to the rest of the town.  
Soon they ran into Ralof;

“Ralof you traitor! Out of the way!”

“You can’t stop us Hadvar, we’re escaping.”

She dared laugh at the ridiculousness of the quarrel in front of her. Surely these barbarians had far more pressing matters to deal with right now. The men turned to her when they heard her small chuckle, Hadvar turned back to Ralof with fury in his eyes,

“Fine I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde! With me Prisoner!”

Like hell I’m going with the people who tried to unlawfully cut my head off. She shook her head as Ralof grabbed her arm and pulled her up the steps and into the keep. Finally out of reach from the Dragon, she took a few moments to catch her breath and take in her surroundings the smell of ash and burning flesh coming through the windows was less than comforting. She felt a stinging on her wrists and saw that her hands were still bound and that the rope had begun to cut into her wrists and blood had began to seep into the rope itself. She saw Ralof kneeling by a body and walked over to him;

“We’ll meet again in Sovngarde brother.” He then seemed to take notice that she was there with him and got back up.

“Here let me see if I can get those bindings off you.”

He pulled a dagger from his boot and cleanly cut through the rope binding her hands together, she rubbed her wrists and sent some of her restoration magic to her wounds. After the bleeding had stopped she looked back up to meet Ralof’s eyes.

“Take that armour, he won’t be needing it anymore, and give that axe a few swings too.”

She eyed him warily; he looked at her with annoyance.

“What?”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at him;

“Can you at least turn around and give a lady some privacy?”

He smirked at her and obeyed her wishes, when she had finished dressing in her borrowed armor she lifted the axe from the ground and tossed it back and forth a couple times in her hands before swinging it around.

“All set?”

She looked at Ralof and nodded, he went to one of the two doors and tried to open it cursing under his breath as he discovered that it was locked. Leilani tried the door behind her and it was locked as well with the opening mechanism just beyond her reach on the other side. She looked back at the nord and shrugged her shoulders;

“Looks like we’re stuck. Unless you know how to pick locks?”

That last part had Ralof laughing;

“No idea girl, wait did you hear that?”

Beyond the gate behind her she heard voices and footsteps approaching, she crouched down and armed herself as Ralof did the same and took position across from her so they were both hidden from sight. When the small skirmish was over she held a key in her hands that she had taken from the captain’s body. She walked over to the opposite door and unlocked it, she glanced back at Ralof who was wiping the blood from his ax and flinched when she saw blood pooling at his feet. She knew it wasn’t his but the thought of taking someone’s life still made her shiver and regret her actions. Ralof soon followed her lead and they both descended deeper into the keep hoping to find a way out of this hell they currently found themselves in. Rocks soon blocked their path and they were forced to go through a side passage, an interrogation room was before them filled with the sounds of fighting and the electricity of magic in the air. Ralof rushed into the fray but Leilani’s mind had ripped her from her reality and into the memories that plagued her dreams every night.

The sound of screaming from her fellow prisoners and the maniacal laughter of the Thalmor soldier as she questioned the boy being tortured, that's all they ever wanted was a damned confession. For what she was never sure but watching the suffering had scarred her for life. The boy before her looking at her with pleading eyes and she being powerless to stop it, it had caused her to become unfeeling in her young age. Never again would she let a loved one get hurt as a consequence to her actions. The pain she suffered….her brother’s death..

Ralof broke the spell her memories had over her and brought her back to the present. She realized where she was and saw the concerned face in front of her as she came back into herself. She shook her head and removed herself from Ralof’s arms.

“Are you alright? You seemed ill for a minute there friend.”

“I’m fine; I just don’t do well with blood and that kind of stuff.”

Ralof looked her over and realized that she couldn’t have passed her twenty-third winter yet. This little Breton had peaked his interest but they were in no position to talk over a mug of warm mead. He simply took her answer as truth and continued on with escaping. She saw that a few new people had joined the group after the torturer and his assistant had been taken care of, she walked over to the corpses and took a key from one of the bodies. She looked at the cages to see if anyone was still alive in them, sadly the mage inside the small prison was already dead. She unlocked his cage and closed his eyes while saying a small prayer for his soul, she then gathered up a few coins laying in the cell along with a spell book. She noticed a small pack near the corner of the room and threw the coins and spell book into it, she slung her collection over her shoulder and walked towards the stairs that went further down into the keep.

“Shouldn’t be much farther, I think I smell fresh air.”

The small party came across a cavern that was occupied with a small group of Imperial soldiers, Ralof and the rest of the group bravely rushed in and started to dispose of the enemy one by one. Leilani noticed archers on the far side if the room standing in oil, she summoned her flames spell and felt the heat rush to her fingertips as the magic pulsed through her veins. She ran over to where the archers were while skillfully dodging arrows flying past her head. She rolled behind the archers and set them ablaze, after they were thoroughly burned Ralof had rushed to her side to finish them off. Corpses littered the ground and her stomach did somersaults inside of her. She saw a lever on the wall and pulled it down, she watched as the bridge into the next room lowered and she and Ralof crossed over it into a cave system. They heard a roar and boulders came crashing down behind them destroying the bridge in the process.

“No going back now, let’s see where this goes.”

“What about the other’s? How will they escape?”

“They will find a way, we have to get out of here.”

She nodded and followed his lead until them came across a sleeping bear on the opposite side if the cave;

“Look, there’s a bear. See Her?”

“No; I don’t see the three hundred pound bear sleeping in the sun spot.”

Ralof glared at her sarcasm and handed her a bow and a quiver full of arrows, he proceeded to give her the option to either take care of the bear now or sneak around it. She opted for the sneaking because she didn’t feel like going toe to toe with a bear in a cave right at that moment. After passing the bear she felt a cool breeze on her skin.

“Look! That has to be the way out! Praise Talos, we made it.”

They then climbed up and out of the cave as they felt a massive wind over take them as they crouched close to the ground. She saw dark wings pass over head and see the beast who had destroyed so many lives fly off pass a nordic ruin miles ahead of them.

“Looks like he’s gone for good now, you should make your way to Riverwood and find my sister Gerdur. She will help us.”

“You’re going to leave me here in the wilds of Skyrim?”

“Well we can travel together if you want but if we run across any Imperials you should let me do the talking.”

“Hold on. That dragon, Ulfric didn’t have anything to do with it right?”

“I doubt even Ulfric Stormcloak could pull a dragon out of his sleeve. He may know the way of the voice but he is no Greybeard. You should go to Windhelm and join the stormcloaks, having a healer on our side would be useful.”

“What makes you think i’m a healer? I may know a little restoration magic but I am far from the healers that work in the cities.”

“Well you aren’t a warrior girl, not with that weak stomach anyway. Travel with me and i’ll make sure Gerdur helps you back to your family.”

“I have no family here, they are back in High Rock.”

“How old are you girl?”

“I’m about to see my twenty-second winter this year. I left home to travel and find my way in this world, I didn’t plan on it leading me to the chopping block though."

“Well Gerdur will know what to do anyway, come on we must reach the town before it gets dark.”

After a little traveling they reached the quiet town of Riverwood and spoke with Ralof’s sister who offered them shelter and food for however long they needed it. Leilani hadn’t eaten in days, her coin purse had been empty and she was no huntsman, she more often than not stole the occasional sweet roll or slice of bread from a cart outside of a merchant shop if she could. She happily ate with Ralof and his family that night and was enjoying some spiced mead when Gerdur sat beside her.

“Will you do something for me Leilani?”

“Of course, I need to repay you for your kindness after all.”

“Any friend of Ralof’s is a friend of mine sweetie, you need repay me for nothing. However; I do ask that you go to Whiterun and tell the Jarl that we need his aid if dragons are lurking about. Tell him of what you’ve been through and it might prove to be useful in asking for his help.”

“Whiterun? That’s the capital of the hold right? How do I get there?”

“Take the bridge out of town and then follow the signs you should reach it in about an hour. Of course I don’t expect you to leave right now, sleep and recuperate and then head off whenever you feel like doing so. Although I must stress the urgency of the situation as you know well the danger that awaits.”

“Yes ma’am; I will head out tomorrow after buying a few potions and food. I was able to sell some stuff I had found at Helgen so I have a little coin to spend.”

Gerdur then dropped a coin pouch onto the table and explained how there was about one hundred gold inside to get whatever was needed for her journey. Leilani tried to refuse and say that it was too much but Gerdur would not have any of it. She sent the girl to bed and told her to get some rest because she would need it come morning. She also explained how she had laid out a dress and some boots for her to wear to town so she didn’t attract attention with the Stormcloak armour. While Leilani was in bed she was going over the events of the day and thanking the Divines that she was able to live another day, she turned on her side to see Ralof across from her in another cot sleeping soundly, I guess he wasn’t really bothered by today’s events. Leilani buried her face in her pillow and let sleep overtake her, however her nightmares kept her from a peaceful sleep. Blood and screams danced across her vision and it was a setting she knew all too well.


	2. Awhile in Whiterun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani faced down death itself and survived now she finds herself in Riverwood looking for a way to repay Gerdur for her kindness and picking up a few extra quests along the way.

Leilani awoke from her nightmare drenched in cold sweat, the same images haunted her from when she was a young girl. Will I ever get a peaceful night of sleep? She blinked a few times and sat up in bed rubbing the sleep from her eyes, to her shock her face was about three inches from Ralof’s. Her instincts took hold of her and she pushed him away from her cot; hard. Ralof stumbled away from her and landed square on his ass against a cabinet. She quickly realized what she had done and she stood up and rushed to his side.

“I’m so sorry Ralof! You just caught me off guard.”

“Don’t worry friend; it was my fault. You were making weird noises in your sleep and I was concerned.”

“Oh; it was a bad dream, no big deal. But thank you for worrying about me.”

“Anytime; you’re a lot stronger than you look little Breton.”

“Uh; thanks I guess.” She held out her hand and helped him back into a standing position, he accepted her help and dusted himself off.

“So Gerdur tells me that you are on your way to Whiterun; it is very nice of you told go to the Jarl on Riverwood’s behalf.”

“It’s the least I can do; your family took me in and I need to repay them in some way. Gerdur wouldn’t let me use coin.”

“Ha; that's just how she is… I know this is horrible, but what was your name again I never really caught it at Helgen and I was too tired yesterday after everything to really pay attention. I feel awful about it since you know my name.”

“It’s fine we were both a little preoccupied with the whole near death experience thing. I can’t remember most of what exactly happened myself, or that it was even real. Just call me Leilani, or Lani either one is fine.”

“It’s a pretty name; Leilani.”

She smiled and Ralof noticed that it was the first time she really talked or smiled at him since Helgen. Not that he expected anything different due to the nature of their meeting. But something about her eyes still shook him, those emerald spheres seem to hold years of hardships behind them yet she was still so young. Ralof being about in his twenty-eighth winter this year; this young breton has sure seen her fair share if the world. That or she was hiding more than he knew,he watched her walk over to the pot over the fire and fill a small bowl with soup before sitting down at the table. Hod and Gerdur had already left to work at the mill and it was just the two of them in the house. Ralof felt a certain contentment fall over him as he watched her eat, his eyes ran over her body taking everything in. She was short as most Breton’s were with long raven black hair that was tousled from her fitful sleep, she had a small build to match her height but from his past experience she had more strength than what was seen on the outside. A certain fire was held behind her emerald eyes; whether it was determination, purpose, or just plain old confidence he wasn’t quite sure. She had changed out of the Stormcloak armour the night before when she went bed, Gerdur had given her one of her old tunics to sleep in, which looked like a dress the way it hung on the girl’s small frame. Ralof couldn’t help but smile at his thoughts; what was he thinking about this girl for the age difference was not a problem for him but there was something inside of him telling him that she would not settle for just anyone. Besides; he wasn’t ready to settle down anyway and if he remembered correctly there was a town girl that had promised to keep him company the last time he passed through this small village. Leilani heard the front door open and close and stopped eating long enough to notice that Ralof had left the house to her, she took this opportunity to change into the simple dress and boots Gerdur had given her the night before. The simple belted tunic was yellow with coarse brown stitching, she could tell it was homemade and that made it all the better in her eyes. She thought back to her childhood in High Rock before things went south, her mother used to always make her new dresses for the seasons and Leilani always treasured them. She sadly left those all behind that fateful night when her life took a turn for the worst, damn Thalmor pigs.

“Well; I guess things could be worse, but now what?”

She said this to an empty house not expecting a response from those cold wooden walls, and she received no answer. She finished lacing her boots and slung her pack over her shoulders, she made sure to tie the steel axe she took at Helgen onto the belt of her clothes for easy access and left Gerdur’s house. She made her way down the road to the Riverwood Trader to sell the spell book she found and then to the blacksmith to sell some daggers she had picked up from the fallen Imperials at Helgen. When she first entered the center of town she was almost run down by a monster of a dog, she laughed as children ran after him and she heard something about dressing up the dog as a spider. She continued on her way and entered the shop. As she entered she caught the end of an argument between the two individuals who owned this small business. When the man behind the counter noticed her he silenced the woman and turned to welcome Leilani to the store.

“Welcome traveler! How can I help you today?”

“Oh; I just want to sell some things and maybe pick up a few potions and dried food. What was that argument about? Did something happen?”

“No! Well we did have a small break in; but we still have plenty to sell. Turns out the thieves were only after one thing.”

“I see; so what did they take?”

“A kind of relic I kept around the store in the shape of a giant claw; it was made out of gold. Don’t see why they only took the claw though, plenty in here worth just as much coin.”

“Wow; does theft happen often?”

“Not usually and no one else in town lost anything; it seemed like they only wanted the claw.” “Do you know where they went? Maybe the guards could go after them.”

“They went to those old ruins on the mountain across the river; Bleak Falls Barrow. Those ruins are dangerous though; probably filled with trolls and who knows what else. I wouldn’t want anyone going up there and not come back down.”

“I could probably get it back for you…”

“You? Aren’t you a little young still to be trying to venture into a nordic ruin?”

“I know enough to protect myself and deal some damage; besides if they are just bandits I doubt they will put up much of a fight.”

“Well it would be much appreciated; and tell you what I have a payment coming in from a previous shipment. If you bring the claw back you can have the coin.”

“It’s a deal. Now what will you give me for this spellbook? I already know the spell so I don’t need it taking up space in my pack.”

“You a mage? You know you should really go to Winterhold if you have a knack for spells, I sell a few myself but I don’t sell them much. Here’s my offer for the book.”

He took out a small pouch of coins and counted out about thirty-five coins, she accepted the deal and asked what kind of provisions that would buy her. Lucan took the coins and her pack and started to fill it with some minor potions and dried food like she had asked for. After a few minutes of rummaging around his shelves he returned her pack and the change from her purchase. She thanked him and was about to leave when the woman spoke up.

“Do you need a guide to the ruins? I could show you the way if you wish.”

Before Leilani could respond Lucan had slammed his hand on the counter and told the woman that it wasn’t safe. He allowed her to take Leilani to the bridge at the edge of town but to go no further. The woman seemed reluctant at the offer but took it nonetheless.

“Well; I appreciate the offer, but I still have things to do in town before I head out. I also need to go to see the blacksmith about selling some weapons I found…”

“I’ll wait for you by the inn; I need to see a certain bard anyway.”

“Alright; I will try and hurry.”

Leilani left the store and walked across the street to find the blacksmith hard a work over the forge. She waited until the blade he had in his hand was dropped into the water to cool, he turned towards her and wiped the sweat from his brow.

“Looking to protect yourself or deal some damage?”

“I just need to sell some daggers. I was wondering if you would give me a price for them…”

He set down his mallet and walked over to the petite Breton; she held out the weapons in question for him to inspect and after picking each one up and examining it he offered to give her forty gold for the pair. She smiled and took his deal; after the coin was counted and safely stored with her other belongings Leilani headed towards the inn, only to be stopped when a hand seized her arm.

“Ralof?”

“Are you on your way then?”

“Yes; I must get going if I want to make it to the capital in time for the noon meal. Did you want something?”

“I heard that wolves had been spotted on the road to Whiterun and I wanted to make sure you knew to be on your guard. Wouldn’t want the big bad wolf to steak such a cute little girl away now, would we?”

“I’m not a child Ralof. I know how to take care of myself; i’ve been on my own since my seventeenth winter!”

She pulled her arm out of his grasp and fixed her sleeve; she knew in the back of her mind that Ralof meant it as a joke but she was tired of people looking at her like a child. She took a deep breath and turned back to her friend.

“Sorry Ralof I know you were joking; I know i’m young, but I know my way around Skyrim. I know how dangerous this land can be; I think I can handle some wolves.”

“I Never said you couldn’t Leilani; I just want you to be careful.”

“I know; I appreciate that Ralof; are you going to stay here much longer?”

“Maybe another couple days; but I must report back to Windhelm and see if Ulfric made it out of Helgen. I will put in a good word for you when I get there; that is if you ever decide to join our cause..”

“I’ll have to think about it..”

“Of course.”

She looked towards the inn to see the woman talking to some blonde nord on the porch; Leilani thought that she must be sweet on him. Ralof then pulled her into his chest and gave her a hug. This caught her off guard and it took her a few seconds to respond to the sudden gesture, she eventually returned the hug and slowly backed away from him. She smiled up at him and promised to write if she had the time; he waved her off and watched as she retreated towards the inn and interrupted the flirtation of two young lovers. The woman seemed ecstatic to help Leilani and dashed away from the poor lad and towards the edge of town with Leilani following a few steps behind.

“I hope that girl finds her way…”

Leilani stood at the edge of town listening to Camila talk about how to get to Bleak Falls; but she was only half listening. She looked towards the road to Whiterun and felt something pull her in that direction; despite her promise to Gerdur she felt some energy pulling her to the capital of the holde. She no longer heard Camila’s voice and said her goodbyes to the woman before continuing on her way. After a few minutes of walking she heard the howling of wolves; great. She quickly untied her ax from her side and readied a flame spell in the other, soon two wolves appeared before her snarling and poised to pounce on her. She waited for them to make the first move and sure enough one leapt at her and received an ax to the skull because of it. She sent fire towards the other and after a few short moments the fight was over; she retrieved a hunting knife from her bag and skinned the wolves at her feet; well one of them anyway the other was burned to much to be worth anything. After folding the pelt up and gently placing them in her pack she was back on her way to Whiterun. She finally saw the city sitting nicely on the vast plains of Skyrim; she hadn’t been to Whiterun in her travels, mostly sticking to smaller settlements and farms. The only capitol she ever visited in Skyrim was Riften; and that city was not a welcoming one by any means. She felt herself pick up speed as she neared her destination; but right when she passed the meadery on the outskirts of town the ground shook.

“You have got to be kidding me!”

She looked up to see a giant ransacking a farm and three nords surrounding it trying to bring it down. Not even thinking of her own well being she called upon her flame spells and dashed into the fight; when the flames first hit their target the giant let out a blood curdling scream as its flesh burned and boiled. The warriors quickly glanced at the new arrival to the frey, but soon regained focus on their target; the giant soon fell to its knees.The warriors sheathed their weapons and turned towards the winded Breton who had drained her Magicka reserves. Leilani was trying to stop her world from spinning as she heard a person approach her; she forced herself into a standing position and smiled at the stranger.

“You fought well.”

Leilani took in the red haired nord in front of her; streaks of green war paint covered her features and her silver eyes made Leilani hesitate. She then saw another nord approach her; this one a tall and well built man with black warpaint on his eyes and shoulder length black hair.

“Thank you; I didn’t do much though you all seemed to have done a lot by the time I decided to jump in. I tried my best though.”

The woman smiled at the girl and placed her bow onto her back with her quiver. She watched as Leilani shuffled her feet and glanced around the area; no doubt taking in the woman’s group.

“My shield-siblings and I thank you for your assistance. You should talk to Kodlak Whitemane up in Jorrvaskr; he is the Harbinger of the Companions.”

Leilani blinked her eyes in disbelief; these were members of the companions! Their stories had reached all of the provinces; the legendary warriors of Ysgramor. She was star struck for all of two seconds until she registered what had been said.

“You think I should be a Companion?!”

“Sure; you seem strong although we don’t use magic in our work. But it's not for me to decide, talk to the old man and he will decide if you can join or not.”

The woman walked away from her and left the man towering over her; he looked her over a few times and nodded.

“You’re strong; come to Jorrvaskr and be a Companion.”

With that simple sentence he turned and left her standing in the cabbage patch where the giant now laid dead. They wanted her in the Companions?! Maybe this was why she felt a pull in this direction; it was fate telling her where she could find a home. The whole situation had put a pep in her step as she finally reached the gates of Whiterun; however a guard blocked her path.

“Halt; city’s closed with the dragons about.”

“Oh; Gerdur sent me from Riverwood, she calls for the Jarl’s aid…”

“Riverwood’s in danger? You better go on in; head up to Dragonsreach, that's the Jarl’s palace in the wind district.”

“Thank you.”

She passed through the gates and into the busy city; right when she walked in she heard the bickering at the blacksmith but chose to ignore it when her nose picked up the smell of freshly baked bread and stew. She saw how busy the marketplace was and shimmied her way through the people until she reached the steps of The Bannered Mare, she walked inside and took a seat at a corner table.

“Saadia! Wake up dear!”

“Yes ma’am.”

A redguard woman approached Leilani and asked if she wanted a drink or something to eat. Leilani asked for a bottle of mead and a small bowl of venison stew, Saadia nodded and rushed into the kitchen to fetch the food. As she waited Leilani glanced around the inn and listened to the bard play a song on the lute. Soon the woman returned and Leilani devoured her meal in seconds; she might be small but she had the appetite of any fully grown male nord. After she paid for her meal she proceeded to the palace at the top of the city; the closer she got the more anxious she grew. What if they thought she was lying? What if they knew she escaped execution? What if- Her thoughts were cut short when she bumped into an armour clad nord; the impact sent her backwards onto the stone below her. She shook her head and look up and into the silver eyes of the man that stood over her.

“Sorry; my thoughts were somewhere else.”

“Clearly.”

Well he didn't have to be so snippy about it; she eyed him up and down and realized he look similar to the nord that had fought the giant. Except he was shorter and had a smaller build than the former; he extended a hand to help her back onto her feet which she accepted warily.

“Next time watch where you step.”

The nord then brushed past her and into the marketplace below; well isn’t he a ray of bloody sunshine. She walked up the steps to Dragonsreach all the while staring at the upturned boat down to her right that had been converted into a mead hall. That has to be Jorrvaskr, should I really ask to join? Before she knew it she was at the entrance of the palace; taking a deep breath she pushed open one of the gigantic doors and stumbled inside. The vaulted ceilings seemed miles high and the pillars themselves seemed to reach the heavens, everything was wooden which made her wonder what made the people hear call it Dragonsreach. If a dragon ever came here the whole town would be a pile of ash in a matter of minutes….just like Helgen. She shook her thoughts away and walked up the small staircase in front of her. A huge fire burned in the middle of the hall and she could feel the warmth radiating off of it even at a distance; she looked towards the throne to see an older blonde nord arguing with one of his attendants. She slowly made her way towards them until she caught the eye of a Dunmer woman in leather armour; she stopped when the woman drew her sword and approached her.

“Halt! You dare interrupt the Jarl? What id the meaning of your coming here?”

“Riverwood calls for the Jarl’s aid; Gerdur is worried about the dragon rumors from Helgen.”

“The Jarl will want to speak with you. Approach stranger.”

Leilani nodded and made her way towards the older man; he noticed her and eyed her angrily.

“What is the meaning of this interruption?”

“Um; Riverwood requests your aid sir… Gerdur wants some extra soldiers for protection against potential dragon attacks.”

“Gerdur? The woman who runs the mill? I see… what say you now Proventus, shall I wait idly by while a dragon burns my holde and slaughters my people?!”

The small man beside the Jarl pinched the bridge of his nose in agitation before responding to his lord’s question.

“Jarl I simply advise you to use caution the Jarl of Falkreath might view this a provocation and use it as an excuse to attack-”

“ENOUGH! My mind is made up. Irileth; send a detachment of guards to Riverwood.”

The dunmer woman made her hand into a fist and placed it over her heart as she bowed to the nord.

“Yes; my Jarl.”

The tired mord then turned to her and adjusted his sitting position on his throne.

“You’ve done my people a service; you’ve sought me out of your own initative. I’ll give you this for thanks.”

He snapped his fingers and an attendant rushed upstairs empty handed; by the time he came back down Leilani saw that he was carrying a set of enchanted leather armour. He placed it in Leilani’s arms and went back to whatever work he was doing before this errand. Leilani looked over the armour and it all looked brand new; a new cuirass, gauntlets, and boots all with a frost resistant enchantment placed upon them.

“Thank you Jarl! I am very grateful for your gift.”

“Your welcome; was there anything else you needed?”

“No sir; i’ll be going now, please excuse me.”

The Jarl watched her retreat down the steps and out of his palace, maybe I should have asked her about helping Farengar? NO she seemed to young and fragile for such a mission, maybe i’ll hire a mercenary or someone more experienced.

Leilani felt like she was on cloud nine as she rush back to the inn to change into her new armour; it was a little loose in some areas but nothing she couldn’t fix herself. She ran to Hulda and asked to rent a room for the night so she could get to work on fitting her armour; Hulda glading accepted the ten coins offered and showed Leilani to a room on the upper level.

“If you need anything else just let me know.”

“Thank you!”

Damn; Whiterun is soooo much better than Riften I should have hung around here more!. She got some tools out of her pack that she had bought from the blacksmith and set to work refitting her armour. It took roughly four hours before she got the armour to fit the way she wanted it to. She put on the armour set and made her way downstairs in time for supper; the armour hugged her body like a second skin and she loved it. Being of petite height and build she always had the hardest time finding armour that fit her and it was always too expensive to get it custom made so she often wore her mother’s old leaher’s that she had taken when she left High Rock; sadly she was stripped of those when she was taken prisoner Divines only knew where they were now. The thought of losing her mother’s armour made her happiness falter; not that her mother would use it anyway, but still the sentiment behind it was now lost to the ages. When she took a seat around the fire Saadia brought her the complimentary meal that came with her room for the night along with a bottle of mead. She sat quietly and listened to the chatter of the townspeople around her as she ate. Most conversations were about sales that had been made in the market that day and future shipments that were expected within the next few days. She finished her meal and was about to retreat upstairs when she noticed the bard was talking to a woman off in the corner; more like pinning her in the corner. Leilani marched up to the couple and inserted herself between the two; she glared up at the man with a toothy grin.

“What seems to be the problem?”

The bard looked her over and scoffed to himself; he stepped away from the two women but only slightly.

“Nothing to concern yourself with sweetheart; just two adults having a conversation.”

“It seemed more like an interrogation; please leave her alone, she is obviously uncomfortable.”

“Ha; I don’t take orders from children.”

That made something inside Leilani snap; she felt her hand ball into a fist and she felt her arm wind back and saw her hand connect perfectly to the bard’s smug face. The blow knocked the man over and onto his back; before he could react she walked over to him and placed her foot on his chest and pressed her boot down. When the bard looked into her eyes his blood ran cold as he watched the emeralds spark and turn a darker shade of green.

“I said. Leave. Her. Alone.”

“Alright! Alright! On my honor i’ll never trouble her again.”

She searched for any lies in his words but found none; convinced he wasn’t dumb enough to lie to her she let him get up and he fled to his quarters above the kitchen to deal with his now bleeding nose. Leilani turned to the woman and offered a kind smile despite the violence that she had just displayed. The woman smiled at her in return and thanked her for getting that bard off of her back.

“No problem ma’am; scum like him need to be knocked down a few pegs some times.”

“Thank you again; here it's not much but i’m giving you a discount at my food stall think of it as payment; it's all fresh everyday so come see me if you ever need anything. My name is Carlotta by the way.”

“Leilani.”

Leilani chatted with Carlotta and her daughter Mila for a little while longer then headed back to her room to change into her night shirt and finally get some sleep. Hopefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I put a twist on this one; instead of the Jarl asking for her help outright he thinks its a terrible idea to send such a fragile creature into a ruin. I'm going to have her prove herself to him through the Companions in a sort of month by month timeline, while that happens I think Vilkas is going to have some words with our Breton about her magic use and the integrity of the Companions..


	3. Testing her Worth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani needs a plan of action if she wants to earn decent coin and stay fed. She finally tried her hand at the Companions only to be met by a nord who is less than welcoming..

Leilani felt a cool breeze cross her face which caused her to tug the furs further up her body; however the cold seemed to find its way under the furs ad was now consuming her body. She opened her eyes and found herself sighing to an empty room, time to get up and pack up. She threw the furs to the side and grabbed her leather armour from the chair in the corner; she had taken care to set it aside neatly for a quicker morning routine. After fastening her armour securely to her body she ran her fingers through her hair and noticed that it was getting longer by the day, she decided to put it up and out of the way of her vision. She then folded her sleep clothes and slid her axe into a loop at her side before grabbing her pack and heading downstairs to get some bread. She only had a few gold left to spend and she decided to only take two loaves of bread and head on her way; she thanked Hulda on the way out and stepped out into the marketplace. She noticed Carlotta sweeping around her stall and walked over to see her.

  
“Good morning Carlotta!”

  
“Leilani! Good morning; have you eaten breakfast yet?”

  
“I bought some bread at the inn; but I haven’t eaten it yet. Why?”

  
Carlotta held up her hand and went behind her stall to grab a small bundle, she handed it to Leilani who just stared at it curiously.

  
“It’s some dried fruit and cheese slices for the road; I made sure to put the best ones in there. Consider it a tip for your services.”

  
Leilani smiled and hugged Carlotta; she normally wasn’t an emotional person but Carlotta reminded her of her own mother back in High Rock. After breaking apart Leilani examined the contents of the bag and smiled at the contents; this will keep me fed for a few days while I figure out how to earn some coin. She then looked up and towards Jorrvaskr; maybe, just maybe i’ll try and join them. She waved goodbye to Carlotta and made her way towards the mead hall, the closer she got the more she sensed. The clang of metal up at the forge, which she had learned was home of the best steel in Skyrim, and the smell of lumber and mead washed over her senses.

  
“This should be interesting; I hope this Kodlak guy likes me.”

  
She bounded up the steps and pushed the doors open wide, only for them to shut behind her immediately after entering. She heard the sound of skin hitting skin and turned to see a fist fight in full swing; people gathered around the man and woman involved and seemed to be totally used to the outburst. Maybe this will be harder than I thought. She turned to an old lady that was sweeping near the back of the hall and approached her with a kind smile.

  
“Excuse me ma’am; where could I find Kodlak Whitemane?”

  
“Down the steps and to the right; he should be at the very end of the hall in his quarters. Looking to join are you sweetie?”

  
“Hopefully; but I guess it’s up to fate at this point.”

  
The old lady smiled and motioned to the steps behind her; Leilani thanked her and descended into the bowels of the mead hall. A cold underground breeze welcomed her to the lower level, tables sat off to the side with random bits of food or drink scattered about. Not very clean are they? She heard voices coming from down the hall and decided that those were her best bet at finding the leader of this crowd. She calmly walked towards the brightly lit room and caught the end of a conversation the two men inside were having.

  
“But I still hear the call of the blood.”

  
“We all do Vilkas; but we must not give in to the temptations of the hunt.”

  
“You have my brother and I behind you, but I fear the others won’t go as easily.”

  
“Leave that to me.”

  
She gently knocked on the door and the two men turned to face her; she immediately recognized the younger of the two as the man she had ran into yesterday in the market but she chose not to address it at that time. She approached the elder slowly and then stood anxiously in front of him; she could see the kindness in his eyes and this calmed her nerves slightly.

  
“A stranger comes into our hall. How can we help you young one?”

  
“I wish to join the Companions.”

  
The old man chuckled to himself but it wasn’t meant in a condescending way; she realized this and waited for him to speak again.

  
“Do you now? Well let me take a look at you…… yes. A certain strength of spirit burns within you.”

  
The man beside him looked back and forth between the elder and Leilani, he was clearly surprised at what the man had said.

  
“Master; you seriously aren’t considering her?!”

  
“I am no one’s master Vilkas; and last time I checked we had empty beds in Jorrvaskr for anyone who wished for honor.”

  
“But i’ve never even heard of this new comer, surely you could reconsider.”

  
“Sometimes the famous come to us; sometimes people come to us to seek their fame. There is honor in both; we need to test your arm in battle though. Vilkas will test you up in the yard; how are you in combat new blood?”

  
Leilani was almost to busy staring daggers at the man called Vilkas to acknowledge the question. She dragged her gaze away from the raven haired nord and faced her elder.

  
“I will not lie; I have much to learn.”

  
“Well said. Vilkas go and test her abilities in the training yard, we’ll see if we can make you a warrior yet.”

  
Internally she was screaming and throwing a fit that she had to be tested by such a condescending asshole, but on the outside she remained calm and content to do as the harbinger wished. Vilkas didn’t bother to hide his reluctant attitude towards the task set before him; he stretched and brushed past the small breton.

  
“Meet me in the yard in five minutes new blood. We’ll see what you’re really made of.”

  
She glared after him but a chuckle turned her attention back to Kodlak; she sighed and followed after the nord shortly after. What damage could she possibly do to a nord twice her size? Sure she knew a little bit about combat and defending herself, but she was no nord warrior by any means. Plus she couldn’t use her spells and that left her with little options; time to try and use his body weight against him I guess. There were advantages to being small; she could move quicker especially with her new light leather armour and small figure. In times like this Leilani thanked the gods that she was short and thin, this was her shot at joining the Companions and she wasn’t gonna let it pass her by. She had just exited Jorrvaskr to find about six people watching Vilkas prepare to fight her; great I get to embarrass myself in front of a group of strangers…...fun. She readied her axe and walked down the couple steps in front of her and stood next to Vilkas in the middle of the yard. Vilkas circled her like a hawk sizing her up and criticizing her with every rotation; she felt the judgemental attitude radiating off of him in waves and that's when her blood started to boil. This asshole thinks he can take me huh? Well he’s gonna end up like that bard that picked on Carlotta. She smirked to herself and this made Vilkas stop his inspection and lock onto her eyes with his own. He saw fire deep within them and was suddenly excited to test her strength in battle; by Ysmir what is happening to me. He shook the thoughts from his head and finally drew his sword.

  
“Okay new blood let’s see what you’ve got; come at me with everything you have. I’m sure I can take it.”

  
“Suit yourself.”

  
She readied her ax and took a fighting stance; they circled each other for a few minutes each one waiting for the other to make the first move. Vilkas soon grew impatient and that’s how he received a swift kick to the back of his knees. That swift little breton had dodged around his frontal attack and rolled behind him to knock him off his feet; he only stumbled however and soon regained his balance in time to block her ax swing with his sword. He grinned at her enthusiasm and thought that she may have hope yet. He shoved her ax off his blade and came at her from the side trying to throw her off balance; she countered his swing with her own and spun away from his reach. Circling each other once more it was like they were locked in their own personal war; each refusing to submit to the other. She felt the eyes of Kodlak on her and she refused to lose to Vilkas no matter what; she sized up her mark and then came to a conclusion that would either grant her a victory or a twisted ankle.

  
“What’s wrong new blood? Had enough?”

  
“Ha; i’m not even tired yet, unlike you i’m young and can easily surpass your stamina.”

  
That jab caught Vilkas’s attention; damned wench. He let his emotions take over and he thoughtlessly charged at her with his blade out to his side. She waited just till he was in arms reach and dropped to the floor and rolled out of the way before bringing the blunt side of her ax to his shins; Vilkas growled at the pain that shot up his legs and fell to the ground on his knees. He soon felt a blade near his throat and he lifted his chin to see the breton looking down at him.

  
“Only a fool lets his emotions take over him….. Trust me I know it all to well.”

  
There was sorrow behind her eyes as she spoke this to him; he saw remorse and regret behind her confident facade. What happened to her? She offered him her hand and her took it hesitantly; she sheathed her ax after Vilkas was back on his feet as they both turned towards their ever watchful audience. Some were impressed by Leilani’s ability to take Vilkas down and others were just making fun of Vilkas getting his ass handed to him by such a young recruit. Vilkas turned to face Leilani and she faced him as well.

  
“Not bad; there is hope for you yet new blood. Here take this up to Eorlund to have it sharpened. Be careful that sword is probably worth more than you are.”

  
“Oh; okay, he is up at the forge right?”

  
“Should be just follow the sound of clanking metal, shouldn’t be that hard.”

  
He walked away from her and back into the lower level of the mead hall; he found Kodlak sitting at his desk writing in his journal. Vilkas knocked as he approached the old Harbinger. Kodlak told him to sit and finished writing his thoughts in his book when he turned to Vilkas with understanding eyes.

  
“Seems like that girl is made of pretty decent stock if she was able to bring you down boy. What do you think?”

  
“She told me something that got the better of me, I let my emotions take control.”

  
“Yes; I heard her make fun of your stamina, she has some bite to her it seems.”

  
“Hmph. She’s more irritating than anything Kodlak; but she is a good fighter i’ll give her that much.”

  
“I doubt the jab at your age is what brought you down to see me. What else did she say to you?”

  
“She said that only fools let their emotions take control, that she knew what it felt like and the consequences that came with it. She can’t be older than twenty-four winters Kodlak; but she seems to know more of this world than she should.”

  
“She might have suffered at a young age like you and your brother; maybe she has bad blood with her family and can’t trust anyone because of it. She must have her reasons and I feel that she will tell us in time. Where is she now?”

  
“I sent her to Eorlund with my sword to have it sharpened, no doubt Eorlund is telling her about how we always send new recruits to do simple errands.”

  
“Glad to know that tradition hasn’t changed. Now was there anything else you wanted to discuss?”

  
“Well I would like to talk about your theories about the blood once more, we were interrupted before.”

  
“Of course young pup.”

  
Meanwhile Leilani was heading back from the Skyforge with a shield to deliver to a person named Aela. Muttering under her breath as she walked down the steps, asshole sending to do his bidding. When she entered Jorrvaskr once more she asked the old lady where she could find a person named Aela.

  
“She and Skjor should be in her room down in the sleeping quarters; i’d knock first dearie they are in the upper ranks here like Vilkas and Farkas and they might be talking about something not meant for your ears.”

  
“Oh; I see, thank you miss?”

  
“Just calm me Tilma sweetie; i’ve been tending to the warriors of Jorrvaskr for as long as I can remember.”

  
“Thanks Tilma.”

  
Leilani trudged down the steps hefting the shield on her back as she went; she heard a familiar voice down the hall a ways and decided to try there first. She stood right outside of the doorway when a familiar red haired nord greeted her.

  
“Ah the new blood; you gave Vilkas quite the thrashing. Tell me do you think you could take Vilkas in a real fight?”

  
“I’m not one for boasting i’m afraid….”

  
“A woman that let’s her actions speak for her, I knew there was something I liked about you. Did you need something?”

  
“I have your shield.”'

  
“Ah; i’ve been waiting for this thank you.”

  
The older nord had been quietly observing this conversation and was currently assessing the new blood himself. She was small; easy prey that would put up little resistance if faced with death. How could Kodlak let such a frail creature into the Companions? Despite her impressive display with Vilkas she had simply exploited a weakness she had discovered. Aela had spok of the Breton’s magic abilities and he felt that the breton belonged more so at the College of Winterhold than with a group of brute warriors. Aela had suggested that Farkas show the new blood around the hall. Skjor nodded and then took a deep breath;

  
“Farkas!”

  
Leilani plugged her ears at the sudden shout and a few seconds later the large nord that helped Aela fight the giant appeared in the doorway.

  
“Did you call me?”

  
“Of course we did ice brain, show the whelp around her new home would you? And tell her about how we get jobs as well.”

  
“Alright; follow me new blood.”

  
Leilani dutifully followed the nord in front of her, she looked around the hall since she didn’t take the time to earlier.

  
“Skjor and Aela like to tease me; but they’re good people. Up here are the sleeping quarters for the recruits, just pick a bed and fall in it. Tilma will keep the place clean she always has. Seems like the others are eager to meet you; oh and if you want a job come see me or Aela for work. If you start making a name for yourself Vilkas and Skjor might have stuff for you to do later on.”

  
“Thank you for showing me around Farkas.”

  
“No problem new blood.”

  
“Can you please call me Leilani? I feel like no one knows who I am here…”

  
“Usually we don’t ask names or get too attached to new recruits; usually they don’t stick around for too long.”

  
“Oh; well, I plan to be around for a good while.”

  
“Then when you prove yourself; we will make you a shield-sister…..Leilani.”

  
Hearing her name for the first time since she stepped into the hall made her smile at the nord towering above her. Her smiled shown throughout her entire face and Farkas felt his heart miss a beat in his chest. Seeing her happiness made him happy in return; he patted her on the shoulder and sidestepped the small breton.

 

“Um; Farkas?”

  
“Yeah?”

  
“Are there any jobs available here in the city?”

  
“I think there are a couple; the jobs I handle usually involve a little hand to hand combat if you know what I mean. People hire us to look scary and get a person to see reason through force, we don't kill them unless necessary though. Just rough them up a bit.”

  
“I think I can handle that.”

  
“Well we have a job that involves a bard messing around with that kind food stall lady down in the marketplace..”

  
“I think I already took care of that one; you can ask Carlotta if you want but I already received payment in the form of food from her this morning…”

  
“Ha; glad to see that bard be taken down a few steps. Well other than the bard I think there was a disturbance involving Aringoth.. The wood elf that runs the meat vendor in the market. Seems like he ruffled the wrong person’s feathers.”

  
“I’ll go and talk to him; if he can’t see reason I guess I get to practice my right hook.”

  
“Then I leave it to you new blood come see me when you’re done for payment.”

  
Leilani took off at top speed to complete her first job and earn her way in the Companions; Farkas stared after her as she ran through the doors and ultimately out of Jorrvaskr. Farkas felt a hand clasp his shoulder and saw his smaller twin brother by his side.

  
“You might want to take control of your musk brother; wouldn’t want Aela and Skjor poking fun at you for being a love sick pup now would we?”

  
“Love sick? Me? HA! Don’t make me laugh brother; that little breton just has a nice smile is all.”

  
“I haven’t seen that smile; but if it has you that excited it must be a sight to see.”

  
“Ugh; i’m going to go to the training yard for a little bit, no interruptions please.”

  
Vilkas laughed at his flustered brother and watched as he ascended the stairs to the dining hall. If that little breton can shake Farkas then she is more deadly than I thought. At least she took a job; but the thought of her trying to beat someone up caused him to chuckle. Although he did hear that someone knocked Mikael on his ass for picking on that poor widow, if that was her then she was just impressing him more and more. Seems like she might make a great addition to this little family yet.  
Leilani had made her way down to the market place to find her mark; she looked towards the meat vendor and saw the wood elf in question she took a deep breath and tried to look intimidating as she approached the elf.

  
“Hello traveler! Could I interest you in some delicious cuts of meat today! Fresh from the wilds!”

  
“I’m actually here for a different purpose; I was sent to resolve a dispute you have with our client.”

  
“So they send little girls to fight their battles for them huh? Get lost they will get their earnings when I get to it.”

  
Leilani was unaware that Vilkas was watching from the top of the steps to the upper districts; watching and waiting to see how she would handle the stubborn elf. Leilani took another deep breath and slammed her hand down on the stall causing all those within earshot to stop and look at the breton.

  
“Listen friend; I know you run a good business, but wouldn’t it be a shame if your customers found out that you inject the game with skooma to help it keep longer?”

  
“What are you saying? I do no such thing Breton!”

  
“I have proof, I could ruin your business in the blink of an eye; now can I tell the client that he will get a resolution to his troubles or do I have to pay a visit to your brother at the Drunken Huntsman?”

  
“Ok, ok just keep your voice down. I’ll take care of it and here take this prime venison for the Companions. Now please leave me in peace.”

  
Leilani took the food and gave the wood elf a sly smirk.

  
“Glad to see we came to a peaceful solution, i’ll tell the client to wait for a response.”

  
She waved to the elf and made her way back up the steps to Jorrvaskr; she noticed Vilkas a little too late. She tensed under his gaze; she stilled her breathing and continued her walk back to the mead hall. Vilkas could smell the anxiety coming from her body; he could also hear her heart rate speed up as she neared him.

  
“Your speech is very impressive new blood; have a past in blackmailing people?”

  
“I did what I had to do to get by; I learned early on that sometimes people need a little push towards what is in their best interest. Problem?”

  
“Not at all; I actually like this method better. It may be a little less than honorable, but no blood was spilt and no one was injured. Despite the ways you completed the job you succeeded nonetheless. So you have the thanks of the Companions for a good job, now get back to Farkas with that meat so Tilma can prepare it for tomorrow's meals.”

  
“Uh ok; thanks I guess.”

  
“Don’t get all flowery on me new blood I still don’t see what Kodlak does.”

 

“That’s because you refuse to see me as an adult; right?”

  
“Pardon?”

  
“You and everyone else in that hall see me as a child with the impossible dream of being a warrior; well i’m going to prove all of you wrong. I may be young; but I can rain down the wrath of fifty nord warriors if provoked. I’ll earn your respect if it kills me.”

  
“Easy there girl no one is doubting your abilities, but if I am being honest your age and build has thrown us all for a loop.”

  
“I know I get that a lot.”

  
“But if you are so keen on earning my respect go see Farkas about more jobs and make a name for yourself. The maybe Skjor will give you a trial to prove your worth; I am very interested to see how the odds play out.”

  
“I’ll prove myself for sure; I’ll make you eat your smug words.”

  
“Hmph. I look forward to it Leilani.”

  
Hearing her name fall from his lips had her pulse racing; she had a great desire to be the best Companion she could be just to rub Vilkas’s nose in her success. She dashed off towards Jorrvaskr with a deep chuckle following her up the steps, she found Farkas training in the yard and handed him the boon she had collected from the elf. Farkas seemed impressed and gave her another job that was going to send her back to Riverwood. He told her that she would head out in the morning and that she was free to train or relax for the rest of the day.

  
Soon night fell and she was called to supper along with the rest of the people in her shared quarters. Tilma had prepared some vegetable stew and freshly baked bread for the meal, Leilani had given her the dried food Carlotta had given her as payment because she had no use for them if she was going to be staying here for a while until she proved she was stronger than she looked. While eating she kept to herself and mostly listened to the chatter of the recruits around her; some talked about their prefered fighting style while others talked about hunts or jobs they had completed. She looked towards the head of the table to see Kodlak staring back at her with cheerful eyes; she flashed him a kind smile and finished her meal. She walked into the lower level and strolled over to the bookshelf in the corner; she ran her fingers along the spines of the books and slide one out of place. The title was one she knew well; a favorite she had come to find comfort in. _The Beggar Prince_. Best story ever!  
Vilkas saw her grab the novel and bring it with her into the sleeping quarters; a reader huh? At least I’m not the only one who reads for enjoyment around here. He retreated to his own room and shed his armour in favour of a rough tunic and breeches to sleep in; finally settling into his furs his mind lingered on the breton for a few moments until sleep was able to pull him under its spell. However; his beast blood raging inside him prevented him from getting any sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whenever I play through I notice how put off Vilkas is by an outsider just walking into Jorrvaskr and asking to join the ranks. To me it seemed like he felt that the companions had their hands full with the beast blood and he didn't want the hassle of training a new recruit that probably wouldn't last the month. Boy was he wrong.


	4. Life as a Companion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani gets used to life among her new family; will Vilkas finally soften towards his prospective shield sister?

A few months had passed since Leilani had joined the well known company of the Companions; earning decent coin and actually proving that she could do more than the others thought she could. She had just returned from a job Aela had given her and was slowly making her way up from the gates of Whiterun to Jorrvaskr; she was dirty and covered in sabre cat blood. How in Nirn did the damn cat even get into the farmhouse anyway!?!

“Ugh I need a bath..”

She walked up to Carlotta’s stall to find the woman and her daughter talking about what to eat for dinner that night, when Mila saw Leilani she rushed to give the Companion a hug.

“Did you bring me anything Leilani?”

“Hmmm; maybe..”

“Aw stop teasing me!”

“Alright; here you go little warrior.”

Leilani pulled a new steel dagger from her pack and handed it to the girl; Mila admired the etchings on the blade and saw that small flowers decorated the hilt.

“It’s so pretty! Thank you Leilani!”

“You're welcome.”

Mila hugged her then rushed off to show her new treasure to the other children around the city. Leilani and Carlotta watched her run off and smiled; Leilani then dug deeper into her back and pulled out a package wrapped in leather cord and handed it to Carlotta.

“What’s this?”

“Well; I know Mila’s birthday is coming up so I got her a little something because I might not be in town to celebrate with you. My last job was in Dragon Bridge so I walked to Solitude before I decided to travel home. I got her a new dress from Radiant Reiments; I hope she likes it.”

“It must have cost you a pretty sum; I hear that Solitude has very high trade prices.”

“I had found a few things to sell on my travels; besides I wanted to get something for Mila it’s no trouble.”

“Thank you Leilani; you are such a kind person.”

“I try to be…”

With her deliveries made she trudged up the steps towards the hall, not noticing a shadow looming behind her. An amused voice caused her to spin around and spot Vilkas sitting on the cobblestones with his back leaning against the wall at the top of the steps.

“Quite the charmer aren’t you?”

“Ugh; can’t I relax a bit and clean up before you get on my case?”

“Oh; someone spit in your stew whelp?”

“NO! But I would like to wash the animal blood out of my hair and change out of armour… so if you’re just going to give me shit I would rather you wait until later.”

“Hmph. I actually have a message for you from Skjor; he has found a job that is to serve as your trial. Get this done and you will be a full member of the Companions.”

“Really?!”

“Do I look like i’m joking?”

“....Does he want to see me now?”

“Well if I were you i’d take that bath first, you smell.”

“That’s what i’ve been trying to do this whole time asshole!”

Vilkas just laughed and turned back towards Jorrvaskr; she just stood there and watched him climb the steps to the mead hall. Why must he give me a hard time? She soon followed after him and ran down to her bunk to fetch clean clothes and a brush before rushing over to the hot bath that Tilma had drawn for her. When she entered the secluded room she quickly stripped off her armour and under clothes and hopped in the lavender scented water; she inhaled the scent deeply and allowed herself to sink in to the water fully. After a half hour in the water she had finally worked through all the kinks in her hair and scrubbed all the dirt and blood from her body. She quickly dried herself and dressed before rushing into the dining hall nearly knocking over Farkas in the process.

“Whoa there Leilani; calm down what’s the rush?”

“Sorry Farkas; Vilkas said Skjor wanted to see me about my trial and I really want to find out what it is. Plus I need to tell Aela about my job and get my pay; i’m just really anxious right now.”

“Ok; well Vilkas already told Aela that you returned and he put your pay in the chest at the end of your bed.”

“Vilkas did?”

“Yeah; I know he can be a bit abrasive at times, but he is a good man at heart.”

“If you say so Farkas.”

She smiled up at him as he towered over her; he looked down at her and returned her smile with a pat on the head.

“People often get my fist; but you I like.”

“Well that reassuring..”

“Go on; Skjor was looking for you, but you already knew that.”

She nodded and ran off to find Skjor; by the time she found him in his room it was almost time for the evening meal. She knocked before entering which forced his attention away from the missive he was writing and toward the Breton.

“Finally decided I was worth your time whelp?”

“I apologize for not finding you earlier; I wanted to make myself presentable first.”

“You should wear the blood of your enemies proudly; it shows your power over the weak prey you kill.”

“I see…”

“Now that you are finally here I have prepared a trial for you. A scholar has approached us with information regarding a fragment of Wuuthrad. This retrieval of the fragment will be your final test for the Companions. If you succeed we will count you among our numbers; Farkas will be with you during the trial to witness your failure or success.”

“Farkas is coming with me? I get to have a fellow companion with me?”

“Did you not listen to what I said?”

“Sorry…”

“You will set out in the morning for the destination so make sure you are well rested and prepared for the journey that is ahead.”

“Yes sir.”

“You can leave now; talk to Farkas about travel and any other questions I told his brother to fill him in on the situation.”

“Yes sir.”

Leilani removed herself from Skjor’s presence and went up to the dining hall to eat; she had been sitting next to Aela at the table when Torvar approached her, drunk of course.

“So off to find a fragment are ya?”

“Um; yeah I guess I am…. Skjor said it would be my trial.”

“My trial was to clear out a bandit hideout with Vilkas and retrieve a lost family heirloom for a client….. Didn’t have any mead for at least a week.”

“That must have been terrible….”

Aela laughed beside her at the obvious display of sarcasm which the drunk nord was oblivious to; Leilani had begun to fit in with the company and everyone including Vilkas seemed to be happier. Kodlak was watching the girl subtly make fun of her fellow companion and was amused at the atmoshere the small lass had created for the mead hall. Kodlak looked to his left at the brothers who were deep in conversation; no doubt Vilkas was lecturing Farkas of the dangers that were no doubt awaiting in the cairn he and the new blood were about to invade. Kodlak laid a hand on Vilkas’s shoulder and caught the two brother’s attention.

“The new lass certainly has a way with people doesn’t she?”

Farkas smiled at the mention of Leilani while Vilkas just rolled his eyes and rested his chin on his hand while glancing in her direction.

“She has an knack for getting on my arse about things; specifically when in comes her attitude.”

Farkas elbowed his twin with a chuckle and handed him a bottle of mead.

“Maybe if you stopped treating her like a child she would like you a bit better brother. She has proved she has strength or Kodlak wouldn’t have let Skjor give her the trial in the first place.”

“Your brother proves a point Vilkas; I know you see her as a fragile creature, I think we all did at first. But she has been here for a few months now and I feel like if she wasn’t made of decent stock she would have left or died ages ago.”

Vilkas looked from Kodlak to Farkas and then across the table to see Leilani laughing at something Torvar had said, that was when he saw her smile. Farkas was right about her smile; it was like a bit of Sovngarde in person. He felt a relaxing sensation take over his being at the sight of her smile; he shook his head and turned back to Kodlak.

“Be that as it may Harbinger; she still mainly uses her spells instead of her sword arm. Isn’t magic what got us into this situation in the first place?”

“Not all magic is harmful Vilkas; just because we’ve been tricked before doesn’t mean we will again. Leilani is a good woman and has the courage of any nord twice her size; trust me young pup she will be an asset to our company. Now Farkas on this journey I expect you to offer her your guidance when she asks for it, not that I expect her to ask you for it. She seems rather determined to complete this on her own.”

Farkas listened intently to the Harbinger while eating his food; Vilkas on the other hand was tuning in and out while staring at Leilani. Be nicer to her huh? Well maybe if she wasn’t so infuriating I may not have to be strict with her. Leilani felt eyes burning into her and she turned to see Vilkas staring at her with those mystic silver eyes of his that were only made more prominent by the black warpaint he always had on. She wondered how a nord came by such eyes; then she saw a flash of yellow cross in that silver. She blinked a few times and stared down at her plate breaking eye contact with him. She knew Aela and Skjor shared yellow eyes but she only noticed hues of in Farkas’s and Vilkas’s. And now that she thought about it Kodlak shared that yellow hue as well. That can’t be a coincidence…..can it? After the group had finished eating she helped Tilma clean up the table and store away any food that was left over before going down to bed. She saw Farkas sitting by one of the bookshelves and approached him.

“Farkas?”

“Oh hey Leilani.”

“Are you ready for tomorrow?”

“Yeah; this wouldn’t be the first time I went into a ruin for the sake of the Companions. Are you prepared?”

“I think so; I have some health potions and magic ones as well. I also packed a few lock picks just in case we run across any locked rooms or chests.”

“You can pick locks?”

“To some degree; the harder ones still stump me though so if we see any of those we might be out of luck.”

“You seem rather excited Leilani.”

“I feel like i’m finally getting accepted into the family here; I want to prove I have what it takes. If this is what it takes then I can handle it.”

“I believe you; now go get some rest we need to head out at daybreak. The ruin is within the hold but it will take a few hour to get there by foot.”

“Alright; see you in the morning Farkas.”

“Good night Leilani.”

She waved and proceeded into the bedroom; she checked her chest and sure enough the coin from the job she had completed was resting neatly on top of her sleep clothes. She picked up the small purse and noticed a note underneath it; she snatched up the note and unfolded it.

_‘You’ve done well Leilani; I look forward to your initiation ceremony when you return’_

No signature; I wonder who wrote it? She folded the paper and stuffed it in her pack maybe Farkas could recognize the handwriting if she showed him. She quickly changed into her sleep clothes while she had the room to herself; only she wasn’t alone. She had forgotten to temporarily close the door while she changed and Vilkas had decided to try and be civil with her. However; he did not plan on seeing her undressing and catch her in her under clothes. Her breast band was securely fastened to her pushing up her breasts and showing Vilkas what she had been hiding under that leather armour. He was stunned and couldn’t move; he knew that he should leave but he couldn’t stop looking at her. Her toned arms and stomach working to dress her being; the subtle curve if her spine, her raven black hair cascading down to just barely brush her lower back.

“Hey! Don’t you knock?!”

Vilkas hadn’t noticed that she had seen him standing there and a blush started to cover his face; he quickly regained his composure and responded to her accusation.

“Usually a lady would close the door while changing! I assumed since it was open you were at least decent!"

“I thought I shut the door..”

“If it was trust me I would have knocked! I saw Farkas sitting outside and asked if you had come down yet because I wanted to talk to you. He said you just entered the room; I didn’t think you’d be changing.”

She was standing in the middle of the four beds with her sleep shirt covering her chest; they were both caught in an awkward silence before Leilani finally threw a pillow at him.

“Can you leave so I can finish changing? I’ll meet you in the hall in a few minutes!”

“Right; sorry…”

Vilkas quickly retreated into the hall and slammed the door behind him; his brother was till out in the hall and eyed him curiously. Farkas saw the faint blush on his twin’s cheek and looked towards the now closed off room Leilani was in.

“What happened?”

“Nothing!”

Farkas used his senses to feel what his twin was going through; he smelled arousal mixed with Vilkas’s usual beast aura. Farkas smirked and saw the red blush on his twin’s cheeks get replaced with anger.

“Don’t say anything Farkas.”

“Oh no; I have no idea what you mean brother, after all wouldn’t want Aela and Skjor to think you’re a lovesick pup now would we?”

“Farkas I swear I will put you on training duty for the rest of the year if you say anything else.”

Farkas just laughed and went back to shoving supplies into his satchel for the journey ahead; when he noticed Leilani emerge from the room he decided to give them some space. He collected his things and retreated to his room; time to see if Vilkas is honest with himself for once.

“Now what did you want to talk about Vilkas?”

Vilkas turned to see her standing there with her hair out of the usual braid it was bound in and her body now covered with a cotton tunic reaching her knees. He ignored the urge he had to continue staring at her body and made himself look her in the eyes.

“I just wanted to make sure you have everything for the trip tomorrow; potions and food, the usual.”

“Yeah; I made sure to pack the essentials, it’s not the first time I’ve went on a job Vilkas.”

“I know that; I do this with everyone even members of the circle.”

“Oh; well I appreciate the concern. Was there anything else?”

“Um; well now that you mention it I want to talk to you about something important.”

“Which is?”

“The place you’re headed is an ancient burial site; draugr may be lurking inside its halls. I don’t think you’ve faced them before; but they are no joke. The dead can’t feel pain like we can; they keep coming no matter what until their head is taken from their body. I just want you to be careful and listen to Farkas; he had fought the dead before and knows how to win against them. I don’t want him to have to carry you back to Jorrvaskr on his back; please use caution.”

“I can take care of myself Vilkas; if I want Farkas’s help I will ask for it. I don’t want to be treated like a child anymore! Just because i’m the youngest here doesn’t mean I can’t defend myself from the cold harsh world out there.”

“You are rather young for this kind of work usually people in their twenty-fifth winter and over seek us out. You are what? Twenty- two maybe three winters into your life?”

“Twenty-one actually; after winter this year i’ll be twenty-two years of age.”

“You’re young and restless; I know what that feels like and so does Farkas.”

“How old are you and your brother Vilkas?”

“This year will mark our twenty-seventh winter in Skyrim; we’ve been with the Companions since we were pups though. Brought here by our father; he left to fight in the Great War….he never returned.”

Leilani saw sorrow briefly pass over his features before he refocused his eyes on her.

“I just want you and Farkas to return safely; is that so hard to believe?”

“No; sorry to seem suspicious but you haven’t been exactly welcoming since I came here. I thought you hated me to be honest.”

“Hate is a strong word whelp; I was cautious, I always am with newcomers. Trust and respect must be earned; and you are well on your way to earning it from everyone here.”

“Uh huh.”

They stood there in silence for a few moments then the doors behind Vilkas burst open with Athis dragging Torvar down the steps to the bedroom. She laughed at her bunk mate’s foolishness and when Athis passed her she decided to go to bed herself.

“I guess it’s time for bed Vilkas; I suggest we both get some sleep. Thank you again for your concern, I appreciate it really.”

She smiled at him and gently put her hand up on his shoulder; her smile once again made him feel content. He almost smiled back but forced his features to remain stoic; he rested his hand on hers and then gently removed it from his shoulder. The scent of magic still attached to her fingers; it made his nose twitch at the electricity. He turned away from her and headed to his room; Leilani watched him leave her hand still hovering where his shoulder once was. She lowered her hand back to her side and wondered back into the bedroom; she saw Athis trying to get Torvar into bed with little success and chuckled.

“A little help would be nice Leilani!”

“Alright i’m coming; geez how much has he had he smells awful.”

“For all I know he drank the meadery dry; I have half a mind to tie him to the bed posts.”

“Kinky…”

Athis shot her a glare as she helped hoist Torvar off the floor he was currently occupying and onto a bed. They finally got Torvar situated in his cot and she told Athis goodnight and headed back to her own space. She crawled into bed and pulled the furs tightly around her small body. Sleep soon dragged her down into her dreams; and this time it wasn’t her recurring nightmare that danced across her vision. She saw the silhouette of a nord standing in front of her offering his hand; she showed hesitation before she took his hand they turned and faced a terrifying black monster with glowing red eyes. But she wasn’t scared; she had no reason to be with him at her side.


	5. Nightmares and Harsh Realities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani tries to aid Vilkas but when her methods are revealed Vilkas will show a side to Leilani that catches her completely off guard. Can something that is said in anger ever be truly forgiven?

Leilani awoke from her dreams and rubbed the sleep from her eyes; that was the first time in months that she hadn’t had a nightmare when she shut her eyes. Who was that nord? I didn’t see his face; but his energy felt familiar. She sat up in bed and saw that everyone else was still asleep; she decided to dress early so she could spend the extra time double checking her supplies. She made sure no one was awake and quickly removed her sleep clothes and changed into her leather armour. She finished tightening her boots and quietly grabbed her pack and exited the room. She gently closed the door behind her and went to the bookshelf; she danced her fingers across the volumes until her hand stopped on a novel. She slide the book out of its place and stuffed it into her pack; might as well have something to read on the road. She heard a small groan from down the hall; she was just about to head upstairs when she heard the noise a second time. Is someone hurt? She set her back by the doors leading to the dining hall above and walked towards the rooms that the members of The Circle occupied. She strained her ears to listen for any strange muffled noise and sure enough she heard it once more; sounds like someone is having a….nightmare. She gently opened the door to Vilkas’s room to find him tossing and turning on his bed; he was drenched in sweat and it seemed like he was trying to call for help. Leilani rushed to his side all the while conjuring up a calming spell to her fingertips; she gently pushed back Vilkas’s sweat soaked bangs and ran her spell over his forehead. His breathing calmed and his body stilled; she kept her hand against his skin releasing any trace of her calming spell that lingered on her being. Vilkas’s eyes then snapped open and locked onto hers; his thoughts still remained on the nightmare he had just had and couldn’t process her presence for a few moments. Then Leilani smiled and brushed her thumb across his skin snapping him back to reality.

“What are you doing in my room?”

“I heard you moaning from the hall and I came to see if you were alright; when I saw you tossing and turning I knew that you were having a nightmare. I hoped my spell worked-”

“Spell? Did you use magic on me?!”

“Only a calming spell; it seemed like the dream was causing you pain so I tried to take the edge off. I was just trying to he-”

“You used magic on me! What made you think I would want that? I didn’t ask for your help new blood!”

“I was just trying to-”

“Well stop trying! Real warriors don’t use magic! You could have just woken me up and stopped the dream altogether! You didn’t need to use spells!”

“Vilkas; let me explain…..”

“NO!”

Vilkas pushed her hand off of him and stood up; he walked over to the doors and stood there. She took that as his way of telling her to leave his presence; she stared in disbelief as Vilkas slammed the doors in her face leaving her standing in the middle of the small entryway. Farkas soon emerged from his room and bumped into her back; he was surprised to see her up so early. He noticed that she had already dressed in her armour while he was still wearing his rough skin tunic and breeches that he slept in.

“Leilani? Are you alright?”

She turned towards Farkas with tears in her eyes; Farkas had never seen her cry before and he didn’t even know what happened. She shoved her head into his chest and silently wept; he put his arms around her and gently pushed her into his room and shut the doors behind them. He sat her down on the edge of his bed and then went to fetch a chair from the corner; he sat across from her with his elbows on his knees and waited for her to speak.

“I don’t know what I did wrong…… I just wanted to help….”

Farkas had never heard her voice sound so weak and small; whatever happened really got to her. Farkas grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes; he saw defeat in them something he thought the Breton didn’t even know of. She was beaten and she couldn’t understand.

“What exactly happened Leilani? I just saw you standing outside Vilkas’s room.”

“I had heard a noise from the hallway and I wanted to see what it was; the noise was coming from his room so I opened the door to find he was having a nightmare.”

“Ah; he gets those from time to time. He doesn’t say what they are about but he’s had them since we were kids. Did you wake him up?”

“No; I suffer from nightmares sometimes too and I know that you shouldn’t wake the person unless absolutely necessary. I know a little restoration magic as well as some calming spells; so I wanted to help Vilkas have a peaceful sleep. I cast a calming spell on him and when he awoke a few minutes later he seemed fine. It wasn’t until he asked me why I was there and I told him what I had done that he started to freak out…”

“Uh huh. Well Vilkas doesn’t exactly have the best opinion on magic and mages. The Circle has a complicated with magic and the damage it can cause, Vilkas blames it for a lot of the problems we face today.”

“What do you mean? How were the Companions hurt by magic?”

“I can’t exactly tell you that yet; you would need to talk to Kodlak about that. But to make a long story short Vilkas doesn’t trust magic so when you told him that you cast a spell on him he panicked.”

“That’s an understatement; it’s not how he acted Farkas I could care less if he pushed me away from him. It’s what he said to me; I usually don’t let words get to me but when they came from him it was like a part of me was being ripped open.”

“What did he say to you? I’ve never seen you cry before and you can imagine my shock to find our star recruit in tears outside my door.”

“He told me that I shouldn’t be using spells and that real warriors wouldn’t use them, he pretty much said i’ll never be a true warrior and to stop trying….”

Farkas was cursing his brother in his head; magic or not you don’t bring down a shield-sibling. Kodlak had always taught them from a young age to encourage those around them and offer support when needed. Vilkas just destroyed one of the most valuable lessons Kodlak had taught them and Farkas was furious.

“Let me go talk to him Leilani; maybe I can get him to apologize and actually mean it.”

“Don’t bother Farkas; listen i’ll meet you at the stables in an hour so we can get going. I need to be alone for a little.”

She offered him a weak smile and then made her way out of his room and up to the dining hall. She had grabbed her pack jogged her way out of Jorrvaskr entirely; she made her way to Carlotta’s house and knocked on the door. Mila answered the door and smiled when she saw the breton; she welcomed Leilani inside then went to fetch her mother.

Meanwhile back in the depths of Jorrvaskr Farkas was about to break down his brother’s door; he tried to keep his anger in check and calmly knocked on the door. Vilkas answered it and saw his brother standing on the other side; he sensed the rage emanating from his stronger half and was suddenly very aware of his surroundings.

“Brother? What brings you to me?”

“Leilani.”

“What about her?”

“ I found her outside your door earlier and she was holding back tears. I was just wondering what happened and if you knew anything….”

“Leilani…..cried?”

“Only a little; she didn’t let it all out and I could tell. That little breton has more backbone then you do that’s for sure.”

“What?!”

“You heard me. Admit to what you did Vilkas.”

“You think I made her cry?”

“No; I don’t think that, I know it.”

“She used magic on me Farkas; that is the same dark shit that got us and the past Companions into this whole mess with the beast blood!”

“Leilani had nothing to do with that! She saw you in trouble and she wanted to help; and how do you thank her? You yell at her and tell her that she isn’t a warrior because she uses magic to aid her in her missions! You told her to stop trying to be something she isn’t!”

Vilkas turned away from his brother and ran over the morning’s events in his mind. After she said that she used magic all he saw was red; did he really say that to her?

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know she left and told me to meet her at the stable in an hour; she told me that about twenty minutes ago. I need to get ready for the mission; and I suggest you spend some time with Kodlak and learn how to treat people who want to help you…”

Farkas left his room and shut himself away in his own space; he changed into his armour and went to grab some provisions for Leilani and himself before heading to the stables. Vilkas just sat on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands; what had he done? He knows that she was just trying to help but he couldn’t get over the fact that she had used a spell on him. He heard a knock on his door and sighed as he told the visitor to enter; he saw Kodlak and instantly wanted to crawl into a hole and not emerge for a couple years.

“I felt your aura shift young pup; what has you so distraught this early in the morning?”

Vilkas searched his words for any hints that he may have already known about what had transpired that morning but it truly seemed that the old man had no idea why he was mentally torturing himself. Vilkas let out a deep sigh and rubbed his hands along his thighs like a school boy afraid to be scolded by a parent.

“I let my emotions get the better of me once again; the beast blood is getting harder to control and I lost my temper this morning…”

“What happened?”

“I…… made Leilani cry……”

“Really? How did that happen?”

“I was having one of my really bad nightmares when all of a sudden the nightmare started to fade away and my vision was filled with golden light. I saw a person come towards me and it was her; telling me it would all be over soon. I opened my eyes and she was actually here; her hand on my forehead and I felt content for the first time in a long time.”

“How does any of this lead to our girl in tears?”

“Well naturally I was curious as to why she was in my room and it turns out she had heard me making noise in my sleep and came to check on me. Then she told me what she did to help me and that’s when I lost control.”

“What did the young lass do?”

“She used magic on me Kodlak; she used a spell to ease my mind and banish my nightmares. When she had told me what she had done all I could see was red and an overwhelming feeling of hate washed over me and I said some things I shouldn’t have.”

“What did you say pup?”

“I told her that real warriors don’t use spells and that she should stop trying to be something she isn’t….. I told her to stop trying. I yelled at her for aiding me and slammed the door in her face to finish it off.”

“I see; well do you regret what you did.”

“Very much Harbinger; I still dislike magic, but I know Leilani just wanted to help me. Why she would is still beyond my comprehension though; i’ve been so mean and cold to her but she tried to help me nonetheless.”

“I told you that she was special Vilkas; she cares for everyone here like they were her own kin. We owe her that much in return; it is normal for families to fight and squabble but at the end of the day you must have each other’s backs. Leilani wanted to help you because in her mind you are her family; even if she denies it she cares for you Vilkas. Like she does for Farkas and Aela and everyone in this hall.”

Vilkas’s guilt was beginning to really show and Kodlak sensed his remorse for the wrongs he had committed toward the lass. Kodlak put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and looked into his eyes.

“Find her Vilkas; say you are sorry. If she is the girl I know her to be she will understand.”

“But how could she understand? She has no idea what we are cursed with! What do I say? Sorry for being an asshole; the reason I yelled at you this morning was because i’m a werewolf and the blood that runs in my veins is getting too hard to control? There is no way to explain my actions without revealing the secret.”

“My boy; there is always a way to avoid the truth. However; we can not expose the nature of the Circle. She can not know this before her time.”

“Are you planning on telling her?”

“I feel like she would make a good addition to the upper ranks of the Companions, but not for a while. I feel like I am close to finding a cure and when that time arrives I will need the help of the strongest people in our ranks, she is showing signs of becoming one of those people.”

“I see; well Farkas said that she would meet him at the stables soon. If I hurry I may be able to catch them before they head to Dustman’s Cairn.”

“Go then.”

Vilkas tugged on some boots and a vest and rushed out of the room; he ran up the stairs and eventually out of the hall. He ran through the marketplace and past the blacksmith before bursting through the gates to look down towards the stables, he didn’t see any trace of Farkas or Leilani. He was too late.

“Damn”

“Vilkas?”

He turned around to see emerald orbs staring back at him; she had just come through the gates with her pack slung over her shoulders. She had braided her hair since this morning and he also noticed the redness around her eyes, so she really had been crying.

“Leilani….”

She just stared at him her eyes void of all emotion; despite this being one of the rare times he used her name she didn’t let it affect her. She was still hurt from this morning and all she wanted to do now was find the fragment and get the trial over with. Vilkas was just staring at her trying to find the right words to say to her but nothing came to mind.

“Vilkas I need to meet Farkas; if you have something to say either say it now or let me leave.”

“I did have something to say to you but I can’t find the right words.”

“Are you actually speechless for once? That’s a damn miracle in itself…”

“Have you been crying?”

Her hand went to her eyes and she felt that they were puffy and no doubt red from the morning she had spent with Carlotta pouring her heart out and trying to figure out how to handle the situation with the very nord standing in front of her. She returned her hand to her side and stared at him once more.

“What if I was; one of the people I look up to told me to stop trying this morning. I feel like i’m allowed to show the tiniest bit off emotion after that. Oh and before you try and even apologize for that save your breath because I am in no mood to hear it.”

“You look up to me?”

“I did; now i’m not so sure anymore. I thought I was making progress, I was earning good coin and tried to bring honor to the Companions just for someone to tell me to stop.”

“Listen I know I can never apologize enough for what I said but I have my rea-”

“I really don’t give a shit about your reasons right now Vilkas! I understand that you don’t like magic or mages for that matter no matter what school of magic they study. All I wanted to do was help you but I get my ass chewed for trying!”

“Leilani-”

“NO! Just let me leave and do this damn trial! I won’t use magic this time i’ll prove to you that my sword arm is just as good as any flame spell I can call upon!”

She started to push past him but he grabbed her arm and spun her back towards him; she glared daggers at him and a deeper shade of green overtook her eyes.

“Let. Me. GO!”

“You shouldn’t go into battle with a clouded mind; it could get you killed. Only fools allow their emotion to control them remember?”

Her eyes softened and they just stared at one another in silence; she had said that to him on her first day at the hall. He was right; her emotions were running high and she shouldn’t go into an old nordic ruin that is filled with Divines only know what. Vilkas felt her arm relax so he removed his hand and tried to examine her face. Next thing he knew her body was glowing and when it stopped her eyes were no longer red and puffy and her eyes had become that beautiful shade of emerald he had come to admire.

“What just happened?”

“I cast a recuperation spell on myself; it restored my mental state to normal and reduced the swelling around my eyes. My mind is clear once more and I should really get going now.”

“I’m sorry Leilani; truly…”

“I know…”

With that said she walked down to the stables and saw Farkas leaning against a support beam.

“Let’s get this over with. I need to get back here and have a talk with your twin about how to treat a lady.”


	6. Dustman's Cairn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani gets to prove that she's more than just spells; but while she tries to finish her trial things turn hairy.

Leilani had been silent most of the way to Dustman’s Cairn and Farkas didn’t know how to help; he can’t apologize for his brother because it wasn’t his fight. He was just silently following behind her ask they walked through the plains scattering elk as they went. Leilani was lost in her own thoughts; how could she make Vilkas understand that she was more than just spells? That her sword arm could easily be enough to defend herself as well as anyone she traveled with.

“Ugh; why is everything so complicated…”

“You alright Leilani?”

She turned back to see Farkas calmly staring at her; she sighed and put her arms behind her head. Slowly turning her head towards the sky she let her mind try to find the right words to explain how she felt.

“I’m frustrated; and mad….. I wanna hit something but at the same time I don’t.”

“Sounds like quite the battle; which side is winning?”

“Neither…….”

She turned around and continued walking to their destination; Farkas continued to silently walk a few steps behind the confused little woman. Soon they were outside of the Cairn and Leilani saw scorch marks from a campfire off in the grass, she went over to it and saw that there were still remains of logs laying on the ground as well.

“I think someone was here recently Farkas; the logs still look kinda warm…”

No sooner did she finish her comment that she felt an arrow fly past her head; she immediately stood and drew her ax from her side. Farkas had armed himself as well and had a firm grasp on his greatsword as he looked for their attackers. Leilani was the first to spot the bandits crouching in the tall grass a few meters away, she ran towards them and threw her ax towards them. Her ax planted itself deep within the exposed stomach of one of the nord bandits; she heard the strangled cry of her foe as she pulled her ax from his gut and spun to look for his accomplices. Farkas had come up behind her a few moments later and stopped another nord from impaling her with his iron blade; she turned to see blood dripping from the corners of her attackers mouth while Farkas removed his greatsword from the man’s back. They still hadn’t found the archer that had tried to shoot Leilani; which was proving to be quite the disadvantage. An arrow found its home in Leilani’s side; she screamed in pain as she fell to the ground. Farkas had seen where the arrow had come from and saw the last bandit smirking at him with yellow teeth. He left Leilani on the ground and ran at lightning speed towards the archer; the archer was surprised at the distance he had gained in such a short span of time. Before the archer could loose another arrow Farkas’s sword had impaled his body pinning him to the ground.

“Son-of-a-bitch this hurts!”

Farkas turned to see Leilani trying to remove the arrow lodged in her side; Farkas removed his sword from the now dead archer and slid it back into its sheath. He quickly made his way over to the place where she was laying and knelt down to see how badly she was injured. He saw a small pool of blood starting to form and new that he needed to remove the armour in order to get a good view of the wound. He broke the shaft of the arrow so he could easily remove her armour first before extracting the arrow head.

“Leilani I need to remove your cuirass or we won’t be able to bandage it properly.”

She nodded and tried to help him get the armour off as best she could; when the top of her armour had been removed and set aside it was clear how bad the injury really was. Farkas ripped a long strip from the tunic she wore under her armour and readied himself to pull the arrow from the wound.

“There… are health potions in….my pack.”

He nodded and grabbed a healing potion and quickly uncorked it; he smiled at her and tried to regain her attention. He saw that she was breathing heavily and was trying to hold back tears; he brushed some hairs away from her forehead when her eyes connected with his.

“I need to pull the arrow out; it’s gonna hurt but not for long.”

“O-okay…”

He put his left hand on her hip to still her body and wrapped his right hand around the remaining shaft of the arrow. He swiftly removed the arrow from her side which caused her to scream; he then poured the contents of the healing potion onto her wound which brought forth a string of curses from the breton’s lips. He then wrapped the strip of cloth he had torn around her midsection, he reached for another health potion and brought it to her lips.

“You need to drink this Leilani; it will dull the pain.”

She reached for the bottle and quickly drained its contents; she laid back against the ground and stared up at the clouds floating overhead. The pain started to subside but she had lost a decent amount of blood; how was she going to complete the trial if she was already injured. She let her eyes close and soon she was dragged down into a dreamless sleep. Farkas was trying his best to keep pressure on the wound; she had lost a lot of blood but it had stopped for the most part but she had lost blood nonetheless. When he finally stopped the bleeding and looked back to her face he had seen that she had lost consciousness.

“Damn it. Come on Leilani wake up…”

Farkas grabbed another potion, from his pack this time, and he poured the crimson liquid into her mouth. He saw it slide down her throat and felt better knowing the potion was at least in her system trying to work. He looked around the plains and tried to decide what the best course of action was; they were already too far from Whiterun and if they turned back they had the risk of losing the fragment. Cause he figured if bandits were camped outside; some might have found their way inside as well. They hadn’t packed any camping supplies because it was only meant to be a one day journey; now what? Farkas sat by her side as she slept; the whole shock of it all must have mentally exhausted her. It had to have been around noon by the time she awoke from her dreamless sleep, Farkas thanked the gods that she had finally come around.

“Have a nice nap?”

“Very funny…. Damn my side feels like it’s on fire.”

She placed her hand on her side and called upon her knowledge of restoration spells and sent her most powerful spell to her wound. Farkas saw her fingertips glow and watched as the magic flowed from her hands and into her injury. Soon he saw the wound close up and nothing but a scar remained; she untied the cloth and examined her work. Not the best but at least she couldn’t feel the pain anymore. She reached for her cuirass and found the hole where the arrow had pierced her; she reached for her pack and brought it close to her; she dug around for a few moments before finding a large needle and some leather cord. Farkas was still watching her as she patched up her armour just enough to close the hole and last until they returned to Whiterun. She finished sewing and put her needle and cord away in her pack; she pulled her armour back on and made sure it was fit for battle before standing up and stretching. Her world spun for a few moments because she drained her magic trying to completely heal her wound instead of just doing enough to get her through the trial. Farkas’s hand grabbed her arm to steady her as she found a blue potion bottle in her pack and drained its contents.

“Sorry to be an inconvenience Farkas…”

“You aren’t an inconvenience Leilani; no one could have known about those bandits. Besides it looks like your spell did the trick and healed your wound completely.”

“Yeah; but real warriors don’t use spells…. I should have been more aware of my surroundings before approaching the remains of a camp.”

“Leilani you are a real warrior; Kodlak wouldn’t have let you join us if the should of one didn’t reside someplace inside you. Don’t let what Vilkas said confuse you; you belong in the Companions I can feel it.”

“Thanks Farkas. Let’s get in there; I want to get that fragment and head back home.”

“I’m right behind ya sister.”

She smiled and trotted down the steps and into the ruins. The examined the entryway and saw newly disturbed dirt and shovels leaning against the table in the center of the stone room. Leilani spotted a book sitting on the table as well and jogged over to it. _The Battle of Sancre Tor_. She put the book in her pack and descended down the steps; soon they ran into some of the Draugr that Vilkas had told her about but they made quick work of them after the heads had been disconnected from the bodies. Then they came to a large open room with a vaulted ceiling; an alchemy table was set off to the side and the way forward was blocked by a gate.

“Looks like an ancient nordic sacrifice area of some kind. Try to see if you can find a release for that gate Leilani.”

“Alright..”

Leilani walked along the sides of the room until she found a small alcove off to the side with a lever on the back wall. She ran into the room and saw a few potions on a shelf beside her; she grabbed those and then made her way over to the lever and pulled. She heard the gate open but she also heard a loud metal gate fall behind her. When she turned she found that she had trapped herself in her own little cage; how could I fall into such an obvious trap? Farkas had heard the noise and saw that Leilani was now trapped behind bars; he shook his head and chuckled to himself as he approached the defeated looking breton.

“Look what you got yourself into Leilani. Hmph; sit tight i’ll try and find a release.”

She rolled her eyes and smirked at him; then they both startled at the sound of multiple pairs of boots quickly approaching them.

“Who’s there?”

Farkas’s voice rang out in the empty room; then five leather clad warriors with silver swords surrounded Farkas on all sides slowly backing him up to the gate. Some of them were nords and she saw a wood elf and khajiit mixed in there as well; they are to organized to be just any old bandit group. They would have attacked by now if they were normal bandits. She heard one of the warriors speak up to Farkas.

“You made a mistake in coming here Companion.”

“Which one is that?”

“Doesn’t matter if he wears that armour he dies.”

Leilani started to panic and she couldn’t do anything behind these bars; she tried thinking of ways to aid Farkas but nothing was coming to mind. Meanwhile the group of warriors had stopped moving towards Farkas and took fighting stances.

“Killing you will be an excellent story beast!”

Farkas smirked at the outburst and sheathed his sword; he turned towards Leilani with an apologetic smile as he faced the warriors once more.

“None of you will be alive to tell it…”

What Leilani head and saw next left her staring wide eyed at Farkas; or what was Farkas anyway. The horrible sound of ripping flesh and twisting metal set her teeth on edge; soon Farkas’s armour was thrown off his body and his skin was replaced by patches of fur. Claws propelled from his fingertips as his face stretched and morphed into that of a wolf; after a few moments she saw a beast standing before her at least eight feet tall. It let loose a blood curdling howl and proceeded to rip the warriors limb from limb before they even had a chance to react. After it was all over the beast turned and its yellow eyes peered deep into her emerald ones; she had seen many things since she left home but a werewolf was new. Especially since Farkas had previously been standing in its place; Farkas was a werewolf!

“F-Farkas? Is that you?”

The beast broke eye contact and fled to the adjoining room;she was left alone for a few minutes in her cell. She was both thankful and angry about this; she was safe from that beast, but she wanted to help if that beast was indeed her friend Farkas. Her thoughts were interrupted by the gate in front of her rising up and allowing her freedom from her cell; she cautiously looked around the room before exiting the small alcove. She heard her heart hammering inside her chest and jumped when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She spun around to see Farkas standing before her once more; she backed away from him and kept her eyes on his form. He had changed armour and now wore something similar to what Vilkas always wore around the hall; she had just noticed the wolf engravings along the armour.

“I hope I didn’t scare you…”

“Scare me?! Farkas you’re a werewolf! How could you not tell me this?!”

“You weren’t supposed to find out; Kodlak didn’t want you to know. No one but the Circle knows about the curse of the beast blood.”

“So not ALL Companions are werewolves?”

“No; only the Circle. Vilkas, Aela, Skjor, Kodlak, and myself.”

“Wait; so how did this happen? How are only five of you werewolves?”

“That’s a long story Leilani…”

“Well I think you can shorten it enough to give me an explanation of why the hell that just happened Farkas!”

“Alright; alright. This gift or curse or whatever you wanna call it was handed down from our predecessors; but not all the companions were werewolves. It’s only been that way for a few hundred years I think; and it was decided that only the higher ranking Companions should be allowed to have the blood. It makes us stronger and faster; allows our senses to become more alert and help us during the hunt. As an example I can literally smell the blood in your veins and hear your pulse racing; all of it is due to Hircine.”

“So can you control these transformations? Or can you only change if you are in danger?”

“We can control them; although Vilkas and I have not been giving into our urges. The blood isn’t a gift although some may see it like that. Kodlak was trying to find a cure for it; no luck so far.”

“Well at least you can control them; wait, is that why Vilkas hates magic? Because of this curse?”

“Thats a big part of it yes; since magic caused the beast blood to infect the Companions in the first place. He also just doesn’t trust it. You’ll need to ask him about it I don’t know the whole story behind it.”

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I fine; my body heals itself from the transformations. It’s like it never happened although I will feel fatigued for a little while.”

“I see; well um lets find the fragment and get back to Jorrvaskr. I have questions for both Vilkas and Kodlak.”

“Ok lets go; but be careful we still have the draugr to worry about.”

She nodded and continued deeper into the ruins; after about half an hour of fighting Draugr and the remains of the group known as the Silver Hand that were roaming the ruin they came to a large open room with coffins lining the walls. At the back of the room stood a giant stone wall that called to Leilani; she walked towards it as if she were in a trance. She kept hearing the chants of ancient beings as her vision began to darken as she got closer. A word in a foreign language started to glow and she heard the word repeat inside her over and over again until her vision returned to normal. She ran her hand over the carvings in the wall as Farkas approached her.

“Are you okay? You seem pale.”

“Did you not hear the chanting? Or see this word glow?”

“No; I didn’t hear or see anything Leilani. This is just a bunch of lines on some stone. Look the fragment is on the altar lets get it and get out.”

She turned away from the wall and picked up the fragment from where it sat; then they heard the popping noise all around them. Lids of the stone coffins started opening and a large amount of Draugr flooded into the chamber; they fault for what felt like hours but eventually each one was dead at their feet. Leilani was breathing heavily and Farkas was winded as well; out of the corner of her eye she saw a chest at the edge of the room by the word wall. She was thankful to find it unlocked and peeked inside to view its contents. She found a couple of old daggers as well as some iron armour she could sell and a couple gems scattered on the bottom of the chest. She handed the armour to Farkas to carry and put the gems into her coin purse; she left the daggers behind because they were broken beyond repair. They made their way out of the ruin and out into the sunlight; Leilani breathed deeply and basked in the heat the sun’s rays provided. She thought it had to be close to meal time but she wasn’t about to stop and eat when she had a fragment to return. She looked towards the city in the distance and smiled; she was finally going to be a full fledged Companion. Not bad for a mage huh Vilkas?


	7. Vilkas's Trauma and Leilani's Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani and Farkas head home from ther trial; everything is going according to plan until Leilani notices something seems off...

On the way back to Whiterun Leilani had begun to feel a pain in her side where the arrow had been; I guess I didn’t heal the wound all the way. Although she wasn’t bleeding the heat and pain was slowly building at her side; I must not have pushed the spell deep enough into my body. She clutched at her side as they walked up the hill towards the gate. Farkas was walking in front this time so he didn’t see the obvious hesitation in her steps as she felt her pain intensify. What is happening to me? This is worse than expected….wait could it be poison? Most poisons that she had encountered were fast acting but she had heard of one involving nirnroot that prolonged the effects until a few hours after injection. Leilani felt her body start to grow heavier; I don’t have any antidote or have any idea where to get some. Her vision started to distort and she couldn’t form any coherent thought; I have to tell Farkas.

“F-farkas…. hel-”

“Did you say something Leilani?”

Farkas turned around in time to see Leilani fall to her knees and then onto her back; Farkas dropped the armour he was carrying and rushed to her side.

“Leilani! What’s wrong? Hey!”

She was struggling to stay awake; her hand was gripping his shirt trying to pull him closer because she could feel her voice failing.

“P-poison…..”

Farkas’s eyes widened; how could she have been poisoned? He scooped up the tiny breton and ran through the gates towards the Temple of Kynareth; he burst through the doors in search for Danica.

“Danica! Help, please!”

The priestess emerged from her quarters and saw the large nord carrying a limp body; she rushed to his side and let her hand fall on the girl’s clammy skin. Ice cold.

“What happened to her?”

“I don’t know; she said something about poison before I lost her.”

"Lay her down.”

Farkas set her down on an empty bed; he could barely hear her heart and it was starting to scare him. He watched as Danica stripped the breton down to her underclothes and threw her armour to the side. Danica found the scar from the arrow wound and saw the skin around it take on hues of black and grey.

“When was she injured here?”

“Earlier today; maybe around noon…”

“The arrowhead was coated with a slow acting poison that shuts down the body. It starts with vision and consciousness and then attacks the organs.”

Danica summoned her magic and enveloped Leilani in its golden glow; Farkas could see the concern in the priestesses eyes as she worked on his friend. Leilani’s once tanned skin was turning white and the warm blush in her cheeks had long since vanished, Danica was struggling to delay the poison’s effects on the breton. She turned to Farkas with desperate eyes.

“You have to get something from Arcadia’s for me; it might be her only chance at recovery. When you get to her shop ask for nirnroot extract and plenty of fire salts. Some antidote as well. GO NOW!”

Farkas didn’t need to be told twice; he bolted from the temple and ran down to the market place to find the alchemist. He ran past Vilkas without even acknowledging him; Vilkas was stunned to see his brother in such a blind panic before a realization hit him. Where was Leilani? Vilkas ran after Farkas and followed him into the shop; he saw his twin talking in hurried tones and the woman behind the counter had a very concerned look in her eyes. Vilkas approached the counter was his brother was waiting.

“Brother where is Leilani?”

“Vilkas! She is in the temple with Danica; she was injured earlier today and the arrow was poisoned. Apparently this poison had delayed effects and now Leilani’s life is in danger.”

Arcadia quickly returned with the requested ingredients and handed them to Farkas; she explained how there was no charge and to hurry back to Danica. The brother’s took off at high speeds and reached the temple moments later to see Danica and two other priests around Leilani; Farkas rushed the package to Danica who took them and rushed to her alchemy station. Vilkas was still in the entryway staring in horror at the state of Leilani; her body had started to sink in on itself and her features were taut and distorted. She looked nothing like she had the night before when he had stumbled in on her while she was changing. He could hardly recognize the woman in front of him; the priests that remained around Leilani were covering her body with their restoration magics trying to delay the poison. Vilkas slowly approached her bedside and knelt down to be next to her; she was so pale and he could barely hear her pulse. She was dying and he couldn’t do anything to help her; he had been so mean to her and now he might never be able to show her that he was sorry for what he had done. He reached for her hand but hesitated to take it in his own; her frail fingers now turning blue from her still dropping body temperature. Danica had finished making her creation and knelt by Vilkas’s side; she put her hand on his shoulder and he got up and moved away do she would have space to work. Danica rolled Leilani onto her stomach so the arrow wound was now facing her; when Vilkas saw that her side had almost turned completely black he inhaled sharply. He saw his brother’s face cloud over with worry as he approached the healer.

“Will it work?”

“Perhaps; but I need to reopen the wound for the salve to successfully work. I need your dagger.”

That last statement was directed at Vilkas since he was not on any jobs today he had dressed in simple town clothes and strapped a Skyforge steel dagger to his waist. He unsheathed it and handed it to the priestess without hesitation; she thanked him and inserted the tip into the breton’s side. A foul smell emerged from the cut and some black liquid oozed from the incision; Danica wiped away the black sludge and cleaned the wound with purified water. The priestess then dipped some cloth in her salve and rubbed it inside of the wound; after rubbing away some more black ooze Danica scooped up the rest of the salve and packed it into the wound. She then took some cloth bandages and wrapped them snuggly around Leilani’s midsection; Danica cleaned up her mess and told the others to cast a healing spell over the body. Vilkas and Farkas had been occupying a bench on the far side of the room while Danica had worked on their friend. The two brother’s were equally worried about the breton but had nothing else to offer for her recovery. The follower of Kynareth returned to the brothers and tried to soothe them further; she kneeled in front of them and maintained a face of composure even though nearly all of her magic had been used trying to save Leilani’s life.

“Your friend needs to stay here where we can care for her; her body has been heavily damaged by the poison and she will need constant care for awhile. You were right to bring her to us; I doubt she would have survived the night otherwise. You both helped her today; you were both responsible for helping to save her life this day.”

Vilkas had tuned out half way through what the woman had been saying and turned his attention to the young girl lying motionless on the stone bed; Farkas on the other hand was hanging on Danica’s every word hoping for some reassurance that Leilani would survive. Danica placed her hands on each of their shoulders and smiled at them before returning to Leilani’s side with a magic potion in hand. Farkas heaved a great sigh and walked over to Leilani’s belongings that had been thrown across the room in all the panic. He retrieved the fragment of Wuuthrad and grabbed her armour to lay beside her bed. After arranging her belongings at the foot of her temporary bed he walked over to Vilkas with fragment in hand.

“We should get this to Kodlak; he should know that Leilani fulfilled her mission; are you coming Vilkas? There isn’t anything we can do for her now; we have to trust in Danica.”

“You go brother I want to stay a little longer….”

“Alright.”

Farkas went back to Jorrvaskr to show Kodlak the fragment and tell him of what had happened to Leilani. Vilkas made his way over to Leilani’s bedside and sat with his back leaning against the stone base of the bed itself. He reclined his head to stare at the ceiling while he silently sat on the floor of the temple; his thoughts rushing every which way in order to find some logic in his situation.

“You sure are trouble Leilani; but you probably already knew that…. I can’t believe you got poisoned haven’t our training sessions taught you anything? Always observe your surroundings before charging into battle; guess that lesson didn’t quite stick huh?”

He looked towards her face to see that no color had returned and her skin was still sunken in some places; that must have been some nasty poison. He turned his gaze back towards the ceiling and sighed.

“I don’t know if you can hear me whelp; but if you can you should know that when you wake up I will have a lecture to give you. You are in so much trouble for making Farkas and I worry about you so much; I also need to prove how sorry I am about what I said to you this morning. Ugh; why did this happen to you of all people? All you’ve ever done is help people and this is what happens to you?”

He turned towards her bed and rested his head on his arms that were resting on the side of her bed. He felt memories come flooding back to him that he hadn’t thought of in a long time; when he first joined the Companions himself, officially anyway near his twenty-second winter.

He was with a shield-sister out on the snowy tundra near Windhelm taking care of some bandits that had been terrorizing the farms; out of nowhere a storm of arrows started raining down upon them. Vilkas grabbed his shield sibling and ran into a cave for cover; when they had reached safety he saw that a pool of blood was forming at his shield sister’s feet. An arrow had found its home in her side just like Leilani; he saw his shield sibling gasp for air before falling to the ground in front of him.

“Trea please stay with me; we need to take care of your wound and I need you to stay awake.”

Vilkas had tried his best to treat his shield sister but when he saw the blood on the ground increase in volumes he knew that they were in trouble. Vilkas had used all the health potions and slaves that they had packed for their travels but nothing had helped; his sister soon perished in the cave with her head resting on Vilkas’s lap as she took her last breaths.

“Vilkas…”

“Yeah Trea? What do you need?”

“I…. want….y-you to know…..this isn’t your….f-fault.”

“I’m not strong enough Trea; I couldn’t save you because I wasn’t strong enough. I’m so sorry sister.”

“V-vilkas… don’t say that…..no one could have known.”

“But-”

“Shhh….”

Trea reached up and brushed Vilkas’s bangs away from his face; she smiled up at him while admiring his silver-blue eyes. Her hand cold on his face; he covered her smaller hand with his large ones and leaned into her touch. He felt her hand go limp and tears filled his vision; he vowed then and there to become stronger no matter what the cost. Eventually he got his wish; at the price of his soul.

Back in the present Vilkas was still looking at Leilani’s seemingly lifeless body; he shook Trea’s memory from his thoughts and stood up. He ran his hand through his hair and exhaled a shaky breath; the memory had almost made him cry and he was not about to do so in a public place such as the temple.

“God’s woman you better survive this or I swear to Talos I will come to Sovngarde and wring your neck myself.”

He looked down at her body and pulled the fur blanket that rested at her feet up to her chin; his hand lingering near her cheek. He ran his thumb over her cheek and her lips and slowly returned his hand to his side; he felt himself start to slip back into his memories but before he could Farkas returned to the temple.

“Brother.”

Vilkas turned to see Kodlak alongside his brother; Kodlak’s eyes went to Leilani as she quietly laid on her bed. His eyes filled with sorrow as he approached Vilkas; he put a hand on the man’s shoulder and tried to reassure him.

“You’ve done everything in your power young pup; she is strong I know she will live.”

“It’s like before Harbinger; like with Trea…”

“Vilkas you must not blame yourself for her death; she wouldn’t want that burden on your shoulders and you know that.”

“I’m still not strong enough to protect the ones I care about Kodlak; even with this accursed blood in my veins. I should have sensed that something was wrong the moment she entered the city in Farkas’s arms..”

“Son please; don’t torment yourself with things we can not control. You and Farkas have done more for Leilani than any of us possibly could have; I know she is grateful.”

“I know you speak truth Harbinger; but my conscious weighs heavily on my shoulders.”

“I know pup; perhaps you should go and rest. Leilani will still be here when you return.”

“I prefer to stay by her side Harbinger; I can’t seem to want to leave her side.”

“As you wish Vilkas; Farkas has shown me the result of Leilani’s trial and she has earned her right to be counted among us as an official member of the Companions. We will hold the ceremony when she is healed; until then we will continue with business as usual. However; since you are so worried about our shield-sister here I want you to stay by her side like you said you would. You will help Danica care for her and report back to us with any information regarding her recovery.”

“I will do so with honor Kodlak; thank you.”

“Of course my son; I knew you would come around eventually.”

“Not now old man.”

Kodlak laughed as he rested his hand on Leilani’s head; he prayed that the young pup would have a swift recovery before departing with Farkas in tow. Vilkas walked around the temple until he found Danica writing at her desk; he knocked on the doorframe and waited for her to turn around. She finished writing and turned to see the Companion looking rather defeated and she understood why.

“Yes? What do you need Companion?”

“I want to know what I can do to help Leilani; please i’ll do anything to help her recovery.”

“I see; well I suppose having an extra pair of hands on this one would be helpful; if you are serious that is.”

“I am very serious Danica.”

“Well then I hope you are ready for a long and hard recovery; the particular poison that she had been injected with is very deadly. Thankfully the amount was small enough to cure; however even though we have stopped the poison's effects her body still needs to repair itself and that can’t be done with specific salves and potions that we need to make. Tell me Companion; are you any good with alchemy?”

“No; but I am willing to learn for her sake.”

“Very good; well you can start by taking this list down to Arcadia’s and gathering the ingredients for me. Leilani needs these remedies as soon as possible.”

Vilkas grabbed the list from the healer and ran out of the doors with a basket in hand; he was determined to save his new shield sister and nothing would prevent him from doing so.

“You will live Leilani; I refuse to let you die!”


	8. Leilani speaks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani and Vilkas finally begin to understand each other when she decides to tell Kodlak of how she came to the Companions.

A few weeks had passed since Leilani had been poisoned and she had not awakened; Vilkas’s hope was starting fade when he returned to her bedside once more. Her body had returned to normal and she had regained color in her cheeks; Danica had said that these were all positive signs and that Leilani would most likely survive. Kodlak as well as the rest of the Companions often visited the temple to check on Leilani and make sure Vilkas was sleeping and eating properly. When Vilkas tried to tell them that he was more than capable of taking care of himself Kodlak brought up the time Farkas had come down with bone break fever and Vilkas neglected his own needs to care for his brother. Vilkas had spent most of his time running errands for Danica and caring for Leilani when the priestess was resting; which mostly meant he changed her bandages and made sure her wound was clean and medicated. Vilkas had been doing just that when a hand fell on his shoulder; he turned to see Farkas standing there.

“Vilkas; I brought you some stew Tilma made. You should eat.”

“Ugh; Farkas I can take care of myself. But thank you.”

“How is Leilani doing? She looks like her body has returned to normal that’s good.”

“Yes; Danica said that she will most certainly survive now. Leilani is showing good signs of recuperation, but she doesn’t know when she will wake up.”

“Hmm.”

Vilkas set aside the bandages and salve as he took the bowl from his brother; the fresh smell of venison and potatoes wafted into his nose. He quickly devoured the stew and handed the bowl back to his brother; he then dipped a cloth into some cool water and placed it on Leilani’s forehead. Farkas rested his hand on Leilani’s shoulder as he watched his brother work; realizing that his twin had come to really care for the breton.

“Hey Vilkas.”

“Yes Farkas?”

“Why are you so concerned about Leilani? I mean we all are, but we trust the healers to do everything in there power to save her. There isn’t really a need for you to stay here with her…”

“Truthfully? I don’t know brother; maybe it’s because of what happened with Trea all those winters ago. Leilani hasn’t told us much about herself even though she’s been with us a few months….I feel like we don’t know anything about her. I think someone should take the place of her family and be here for her; hell we don’t even know if she has any remaining family in Tamriel.”

“Hmmm. Well when she wakes up I think you should talk to her about that.”

“What? Why?”

“Because you were the one to stay by her side through all of this; you helped care for her. If she knows this then her trust in you should grow and she will tell you what you want to know.”

“We don’t even know when she will wake up brother; hell it might be months till she wakes up! Besides i'm not gonna tell Leilani that the only reason I stayed by her side was because of my guilty conscious.”

Danica heard the commotion and came over to see what the brother’s were talking about; she approached the twins and crossed her arms over her chest.

“What has got you two all worked up? There are still other sick people in here besides Leilani that need the peace and quiet.”

“Apologies Danica.”

Vilkas lowered his gaze to the stone floor and exhaled a deep breath; then he saw Leilani’s hand twitch. He blinked a few time to make sure he wasn’t imagining it and sure enough her fingers twitched a second time.

“Danica look! I think she is waking up!”

The priestess turned and knelt down beside Leilani’s bed; she called forth her magic and slowly let a restoration spell seep into Leilani. After a couple minutes Leilani’s eyelids started to flutter open and Vilkas finally saw the emerald eyes he had missed so much.

“What happened? Where am I?”

Vilkas smiled at the confused breton as he knelt by the priestess’s side; he took Leilani’s hand in his and the breton turned her head to look at him.

“Vilkas? Ow; why does my head and body ache so much….”

Then all the thoughts of what happened before she lost consciousness flooded back into her memory. Her eyes went wide and she tried to sit up only to be eased back down by a woman in temple robes.

“Easy young one; your body still needs to heal a little longer. No sudden movements or you might cause more harm than good.”

She looked over the woman with confused eyes but listened all the same; she felt so stiff like she hadn’t moved in weeks. All she remembered was trying to tell Farkas about the possibility of being poisoned and then darkness took over her vision. Vilkas still had an iron grip on her hand and she felt a slight blush start to form on her cheeks. She looked into the nord’s eyes and saw a glint of relief wash over his silver orbs; why was Vilkas so concerned? Vilkas rested his other hand on her head and gently stroked her hair; now i’m sure i’m dreaming. The man’s rough voice snapped her back to reality.

“Do you need anything? Are you thirsty? Hungry?”

“I-i’m fine Vilkas; well sort of anyway. Can someone fill me in on what happened and why i’m in the temple?”

Farkas made his presence known which brought a smile to the young woman’s face; he then proceeded to tell her of what happened after she blacked out that day outside the city. Leilani took in every detail as she quietly laid on her stone bed; her life had almost been extinguished and her family would have never known about it. Emotions battled for control inside of Leilani’s mind; should she feel relieved or sad that no one here knew exactly who she was? Happy or distressed that if she had died only the Companions would have mourned her passing? All these thoughts seemed to block most of her ability to listen but one sentence brought her back into focus.

“Vilkas never left your side though; he helped cure you. And that pretty much brings us to today when you finally woke up! Leilani? Are you listening to me?”

“Yes I am; sorry Farkas. It just that did you say that Vilkas was by my side the entire time?”

She looked at the smaller twin as she said this and saw a faint blush crawl onto his cheeks; he really had been by her side the whole time. While she was unconscious she could still feel what was around her; she had always felt a comforting presence around her. Was that energy from Vilkas? The man that had insulted her and constantly poked fun at her since she had joined the Companions? She looked into his eyes for some type of confirmation of his brother’s words; finally Vilkas made eye contact with her and gripped her hand tightly.

“Yes Leilani; I was by your side the entire time you were ill.”

Then Danica intervened in the conversation.

“That’s quite the understatement; he was determined to cure you my dear. In fact I think that he was ready to jump into the void itself in order to bring you back to us.”

Leilani stared in disbelief at the raven haired nord clutching her hand; she chuckled to herself and relaxed onto the warm stone.

“Who are you and what have you done with Vilkas?”

Farkas and Danica laughed while Vilkas just rolled his eyes and let go of Leilani’s hand with a sigh. He stood up and looked down on the smiling woman; he couldn’t help but smirk at her humor.

“Well if you can make a joke whelp; then I assume that you will be better in no time. Which benefits you because Kodlak is ready to have your induction ceremony. You my friend; are going to be a full member of the Companions. Farkas gave Kodlak the whole story after we stabilized you here; you have brought honor to yourself and the Companions.”

“Really?! Even though I’ve been out for a few weeks?”

“Well once we tell him you’ve awakened I think that little bump will be overlooked; besides according to Danica not many people survive a condition like yours. You overcame the odds with your strength of will and spirit; if that doesn’t make you a Companion I don’t know what does…”

“Thank you Vilkas! Thanks to you as well Farkas I probably wouldn’t have made it without you..”

Farkas smiled and said that he was going to tell Kodlak the good news and left his brother and Leilani with the healer. Danica turned toward her patient and let her hand hover over the girl’s midsection; a golden glow was soon brought forth and cast over the wound on Leilani’s side. A warm feeling spread through her body as she allowed the magic to take effect; meanwhile Vilkas was just watching the healer tend to his new sister with mixed emotions. He still hadn’t opened himself up to the idea of magic; but if that is what it takes to save someone he cares about then he figured he could learn to live with it. After all Kodlak had a valid point; not all magic is harmful.

“You’re still here Vilkas?”

The breton’s voice brought his attention back to her small body; he smiled and grabbed his pack from the corner which he had been occupying for the past few weeks. He slung the bag over his shoulder and headed towards the temple doors; before leaving he glanced back at the small woman and smiled.

“I’m glad that you are back with us Leilani; I was starting to think that I would have to find someone else to yell at.”

“Hmph. You can’t get rid of me that easy Vilkas; besides I doubt someone could ever annoy you like I do.”

“You may be right about that whelp; no one could ever replace you.”

And with that he left the temple and headed up to Jorrvaskr; on his way up the steps he saw Kodlak exit the hall and head in his direction. He stopped in front of his mentor and waited for the elder to speak; he also noticed that the old man held a letter in his hand.

“Kodlak? Where are you going?”

“Farkas told me the good news; seems like your dedication paid off young pup. I’m on my way to visit our little sister in the temple; this letter is for her.”

“I see; who’s it from?”

“The Jarl; it seems that young Leilani has caught his attention with the work she has done for us.”

“The Jarl?! What could he want her to do?”

“I do not know; but i’m sure once Leilani is fully recovered it won’t be anything she can’t handle.”

“I’ll take it to her Harbinger.”

“No need; I want to visit the lass anyway. You can come with me if you wish; i’m sure she wouldn’t mind since she obviously knows you were the one helping Danica.”

“But I just left…. Besides I think a bath is what I really need right now.”

“I see; well then i’m off to the temple. Have a good rest Vilkas I think you’ve earned it.”

Vilkas nodded and then continued into the mead hall; he told Tilma to ready a bath while he went to his room and grabbed a change of clothing. He hadn’t seen his room in weeks and was shocked at the amount of dust that had covered his possessions; after grabbing a plain cotton tunic and breeches he was ready to submerge himself in the steaming water. Kodlak had made his way to the temple with letter in hand; his thoughts turning to what the Jarl could possibly want Leilani to do. He knew that she had acted on behalf of the people of Riverwood and asked for the Jarl’s aid to defend the small town against these fabled dragon attacks; but that business was months ago what more could she do? He pushed through the double wooden doors and entered the quiet chamber; he found the girl now sitting up on her stone bed slowly eating some stew.

“I see you have begun to recover; I’m glad to see you doing well young one.”

“Kodlak! Thank you for visiting me; and thank you for letting me officially join the Companions. I will try to bring honor to my new family.”

“I have no doubt that you will lass; especially if the Jarl favours your sword arm.”

“The Jarl? What do you mean?”

 “A courier came looking for you a few days ago; he handed Farkas this letter and told him that it was for you. We already sent word to the Jarl about your condition and he responded that you should get your energy back before coming to the palace.”

“O-okay; I wonder what he wants from me. I know I helped Riverwood but it wasn’t that big of a deal; I needed to repay Gerdur for her hospitality.”

“Lass can I ask you about something personal?”

“Uh; I guess.”

“I know about telling the Jarl of Riverwood’s request for extra protection, against dragons of all things, but what brought you to Riverwood in the first place? What brought you to Skyrim lass?”

Leilani didn’t know where to start her explanation; or how to explain that a dragon was a very real threat to Skyrim because she had seen it with her own eyes. She looked at Kodlak with sad eyes as she sighed and decided to come clean about her rough life in Skyrim.

“Well; I had left home when I turned seventeen; I wanted to prove that I could be on my own and not need anyone to support me. My mother tried to stop me but I think you know that I don’t listen well. Anyway I came here and worked on farms for a few years before I thought about wanting more out of life then potatoes and wheat.”

“So young; but we all hear our calling at different ages. Who’s to say what you did was wrong or right? You did what you thought was right at the time and it brought you to us.”

He’d never know the true reason Leilani decided to leave her family in High Rock or the terrible visions that assaulted her when she closed her eyes every night. She smiled at his acceptance though and continued on with her story.

“I tried to make my way to Cyrodiil; when I was just a mile from the border I was caught up in an Imperial ambush for the stormcloaks. I was taken prisoner and stripped of all the gear I had earned in my travels as well as my armour that my mother had given me when I left. I don’t really remember much about the fight itself but the next thing I knew I was waking up in a wagon with my hands restrained.”

“You’ve been through a lot; but you were let go or else you wouldn’t be sitting here.”

“Well Kodlak I wasn’t released easily; in fact the only reasoned I escaped the headsman’s ax that day was due to…… a dragon attack.”

“Surely you jest young one.”

“It’s true Harbinger; right when my head hit the block and the ax blocked my vision a dragon appeared and he was dark as night. He burned Helgen to the ground and I escaped with the stormcloaks.”

“By Talos; I thought those rumors nothing but children’s stories. It was a miracle you survived child.”

While Kodlak talked with the breton neither of them noticed that Vilkas had returned to ask what the letter contained. He had been listening to Leilani talk about her life before he knew of her existence, he was shocked at what she had said. He had tried to keep to the shadows but Kodlak’s wolf recognized the smell of his brother; he turned to where Vilkas was hidden and beckoned him forward out of the darkness. Leilani turned her attention to the dark corner where she saw Vilkas emerge; she hadn’t even notice him return to the temple. Had he heard everything she had said? Now what would he think of her? Not only did she speak about the dragons but also about her somewhat criminal past that brought her to their doorstep. Vilkas just stared at Leilani with concerned eyes; she didn’t see anger in his eyes she, instead saw pity. Kodlak was just silently watching the two stare at each other until the atmosphere turned stuffy.

“Here is the letter lass; I appreciate you telling me of your past. Know that I think no less of you for it Leilani; I admire your persistence against the harsh hand you have been dealt; the Companions will protect you lass. I promise”

The old man left and silence fell over the chamber where Vilkas and Leilani were; Vilkas didn’t know what to do with this new information but he did know one thing. If the Empire still had a bounty on Leilani’s head; they would have to go through him to get to her.

“Vilkas; I don’t know what you heard but-”

She was interrupted by Vilkas hugging her close to his body; his arms encircled her and offered a warmth she hadn’t had in a very long time. Her arms came up to encircle Vilkas’s midsection as she leant into his touch; Vilkas didn’t know any other way he could show his support if what she had been through at such a young age.

“Know that I will always support you Leilani; and that your past is nothing compared to what you will accomplish as a Companion.”

“Thank you Vilkas.”

They broke apart and stared into each other’s eyes; suddenly Leilani felt safe and protected. That was something she hadn’t thought was possible since her interrogation.


	9. Vilkas and Leilani

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani and Vilkas spend some time together while she heals.

Leilani had requested that she be left in the temple alone and not have any visitors while she allowed Danica to heal her; having Vilkas and Farkas there was nice but she wanted some privacy. Not to mention she hadn’t bathed in weeks and wanted some seclusion while Danica helped her bathe; since Leilani hadn’t moved from her stone pedestal her legs were sore and could not fully support her weight yet. Danica had fetched some of her clothes from her room in Jorrvaskr and returned just when Leilani had finished scrubbing herself raw; all the muck and sweat she had produced in those weeks she was asleep was very hard to rinse off. Danica handed her a rough towel and helped her out of the wooden tub; Leilani’s eyes fell to her side to see that her scar had become wider. She knew Danica had to reopen her wound in order to treat the poison’s effects but did she have to make the wound larger? While Leilani was staring at her wound Danica had left to get more salve and bandages; the healer quickly spread the salve over Leilani’s wound and tightly wrapped the bandages around her midsection. Leilani thanked her and then dressed herself in a loose green cotton dress Danica brought from her bunk at Jorrvaskr. Leilani noticed that she had lost some weight these past few weeks; perfectly understandable since she had been asleep for weeks and could only consume liquids.

“I wonder if Danica would let me outside to get some fresh air?”

Danica was kneeling by an ill farmer who was complaining of a pain in his lower abdomen; Leilani slowly limped towards her and waited patiently for her to acknowledge her.

“Leilani? Are you ready to get back to bed?”

“Actually Danica; I was wondering if I could go outside for some fresh air. I want to feel the sun rays and the breeze on my skin.”

“I would feel better about you going outside if you had a person with you in case you collapse; and i’m to busy with the other people here to accompany you.”

Leilani sighed and made her way over to her stone bed; she wanted to go outside to breathe fresh air and get away from the temple. Although the temple was nice and cool she wanted to relax under the gildergreen now that it was in full bloom. Plus that mission had been a pain in the ass, it left Leilani picking twigs and leaves out of her hair for days. Those spriggan’s put up quite the fight; but she was able to bring back some taproots for her trouble and Arcadia had paid her a pretty sum for them as well. She heard the doors open and saw Vilkas wander into the temple in simple town clothing; this is my ticket outside! Leilani eagerly waved at Vilkas and motioned for him to come closer; they had gotten a lot closer the past few days since she woke up. He even hugged her a couple days ago and that was a miracle in itself.

“Vilkas! Thank the gods you came when you did!”

“Last time I saw you I remember you saying that you wanted privacy. Don’t tell me you missed me that much?”

“I was gonna take a bath you oaf; a lady deserves some privacy for that don’t you think?”

“You’re right Leilani; I never said you weren’t. Now what do you need? You seem a little too happy to see me.”

“I want to go outside but Danica said I need someone to come with me in case I collapse. Can you please take me outside?”

“Dancia said it was okay? You aren’t trying to get me in trouble with the priestess are you?”

“No I promise that she said it was alright; please Vilkas I wanna breathe the fresh air and feel the sun on my skin. I’m going crazy being cooped up in here.”

“Alright; alright geez calm down i’ll take you outside.”

“Thank you!”

Leilani smiled brightly at Vilkas and he just rolled his eyes and offered the breton his arm for support; she gladly linked her arm with his and they slowly headed for the doors. She waved at Danica as they left and the healer nodded and went back to work on the farmer moaning under her hands. A cool breeze welcomed Leilani to the outside world; she smiled as warmth flooded her body as they neared the Gildergreen. Vilkas helped her sit on one of the benches surrounding the tree and sat himself down next to her with his arms resting on the ledge of the bench behind them. They listened to the sounds of the town and the people who lived there in silence; then Vilkas heard a small child scream.

“LEILANI!”

He saw a little nord girl with tears in her eyes run towards Leilani at full speed with her arms open wide; Leilani saw the girl and gently smiled as the little one jumped into her arms.

“I was so worried Leilani! Mama said you were sick and that’s why you couldn’t come over for my birthday.”

“Your mama was right Mila I was very sick; but you got my present didn’t you?”

“Yes I did! Thank you so much; the dress is so pretty and fits me perfectly!”

“That’s wonderful Mila; i’m glad you liked it.”

The little girl was happily sitting on Leilani’s lap as she told the breton of the events she had missed while she was tucked away in the temple. Vilkas knew that she had made friends with most people in the city and he was glad to see children were no exception to that; she was actually quite good with children apparently.

“What were you sick with Leilani?”

“Oh um; I was infected with something that made me fall into a deep sleep. Like in that book your mama reads to put you to sleep!”

“But if that’s what was wrong with you; then who kissed you?”

“What do you mean Mila? No one kissed me.”

“But the story said that only the lady’s true love could wake her from her deep sleep. If you had the same thing she did then someone had to kiss you in order to wake you up!”

“Uh; w-well…”

“Was it him?”

Mila pointed at Vilkas and he burst out laughing at the blush that soon covered Leilani’s cheeks; Vilkas patted the child on the head and leaned in closely to the child.

“Yes; it was me pup.”

“I knew it! I’m gonna go tell mama!”

Before Leilani could stop her Mila had rushed off to find her mother in the marketplace; Vilkas was still laughing when Leilani turned to face him.

“Why did you tell her that?”

“Because she wouldn’t stop asking if I didn’t. It’s fine; the worst that could happen is that people think we are together.”

“Ugh Vilkas!”

“What?”

“Nevermind…”

She reached into her pocket to pull out the letter that Kodlak had given her two days ago; she broke the seal and started to read from the paper.

**_Dear Leilani;_**

**_I_ ** **_must call upon your services once more in order to gain vital information regarding these rumors of dragons. I think you are the right person for this task and humbly ask for your help once more. I await your presence in Dragonsreach; please come at your earliest convenience._ **

**_-Jarl Balgruuf of Whiterun_ **

Something to do with the dragons? That can’t be good; I guess that this will be top priority when Danica decides I can leave the temple. Vilkas had been reading the letter over her shoulder and she turned to see his brow furrowed in confusion.

“What?”

“The Jarl wants your help with...dragons?”

“Apparently; don’t know what I can do though. Sure i’ve seen one; but I don’t really know anything about them…”

“You aren’t going alone are you?”

“I don’t even know what he wants me to do Vilkas; why are you so concerned over a little visit to the palace anyway?”

“That letter just seemed a little to vague for my liking; it’s almost like he’s purposely not to tell you something.”

“Well guess i’ll have to find out when Danica says i’m good to go.”

“I’m going with you to the palace when the time comes.”

“What? Why?”

“Cause I want to see what the Jarl has up his sleeve and whatever it is concerns all of Whiterun. If dragons really are coming back then we need to know how to stop it.”

“Well; alright but don’t start any fights when we get there. The last thing I need is the Jarl hating me because of my hot headed Companion.”

“Hey!”

Leilani laughed and looked towards the edges of the city; the mountains far beyond those safe stone walls seemed to be calling her name. She couldn’t explain it but when she absorbed that word all those weeks ago she felt something inside her awaken; like a part of her had been restored after slumbering. Leilani and Vilkas spent the rest of the afternoon talking about what the Companions were up to and how Leilani was faring in the temple; Vilkas was put at ease for once knowing that her healing was almost complete.

“It’s getting dark Leilani; I think Danica would want you back inside now.”

“I guess; but I don’t like being in one place for too long Vilkas. It makes me feel trapped; it’s like I can’t breathe.”

“I see; well when we go back inside we can ask Danica if you can have your evening meal at Jorrvaskr with the Companions. I’m sure that as long as I watch you she won’t be opposed to the idea.”

“You’d do that for me Vilkas?”

“Anything for a sick child.”

“Vilkas!”

He laughed as she tried her best to hit him; he blocked her attempt each time and waited for her to tire out. She soon stopped trying to hit him and sighed in frustration; Vilkas helped her stand and they slowly made their way over to the temple. Danica said she thought a meal with friends was a great idea and allowed Leilani to go to the mead hall as long as she didn’t do anything to strenuous. The pair walked through the doors of Jorrvaskr and were greeted with cheers from their shield siblings; Alea walked over to them and hugged Leilani close. Farkas had made his way over as well and gently put his hand on Leilani’s shoulder; Kodlak smiled at them and told everyone to sit down for the evening meal. Leilani spent the night laughing and joking with her friends like she had done before the accident and she was happy she finally saw their faces once more. Torvar was drunk as usual and clearly annoying the hell out of Athis with his pestering; the girls were talking with Aela about a hunt they had just went on and how they brought down the beast in record time.

“It’s good to be home.”

No one had heard her; but Vilkas sensed her mood change from one of joy to one of contentment. After the meal was over Kodlak stood up and silence fell over the hall.

“Friends; as you all know our sister Leilani has been out of work for some time now due to an accident that occurred while completing her trial. Despite this event she still managed to recover the fragment of Wuuthrad and bring honor to the Companions; Farkas can attest to the courage of the soul before us.”

“I would gladly fight by her side; as well as lead the hall in songs of her glory. I would gladly defend her till my last breath.”

Leilani smiled at him as Farkas reclined in his chair; her attention went back to Kodlak when he cleared his throat.

“Leilani Edenburrow; I hereby make you a full fledged member of the Companions. Welcome to the family young breton.”

Leilani almost cried tears of joy at the old man’s words; she stood up from the table and made her way over to the elder. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and squeezed tightly; Kodlak chuckled and returned her hug with gentle arms.

“Welcome home Leilani.”

“Thank you Kodlak…”

They broke apart and Vilkas came up behind her; she turned to see his smile meet her gaze. Vilkas said it was time to get her back to the temple before Danica came to the hall yelling about how we betrayed her trust. Leilani laughed and told everyone goodnight as Vilkas escorted her from the mead hall. They slowly made their way down the steps towards the Gildergreen when Vilkas started a conversation.

“Well you’re a full member now eh? Guess that means I get to be tougher on you during training.”

“Ugh that’s not fair; I thought becoming a full member meant smooth sailing from here on out?”

“Not quite sister. Now even more attention is on you; you have to do what is right for yourself as well as the Companions. Uphold our codes with courage and bring honor to the Companions.”

“Yay; even more pressure.”

“But this also means that you are now going to be taken seriously among the group, that’s a positive right?”

“I wasn’t taken seriously before?”

“Well not for the first few weeks but after you started proving yourself you gained respect; now that you are officially part of the family well everyone in the city will respect and honor you.”

“What about you Vilkas?”

“What about me?”

“Do you respect and take me seriously?”

“Uh; yeah I guess. I mean…. Uh I don’t know how to say it.”

Leilani looked at him expectantly as they stopped just short of the temple doors; Vilkas felt his heart and mind racing as he tried to figure out how to tell Leilani what he thought of her. He looked into her emerald orbs and sighed; he unlinked their arms and stood squarely in front of her.

“Listen; since your accident we’ve been spending a lot of time together and as your superior I found myself growing even more curious about you and your past. I thought that was natural; but the frustration you kept giving me in the beginning had me hesitating. But I guess the way I answer this question means something to you; doesn’t it?”

“Yes; but you should know something Vilkas. I see you more as a friend than a superior.”

“Really? I tried so hard to seem important; did it not work?”

“Ha-ha very funny; I respect you Vilkas. But I value you more as a friend rather than a person I answer to at the end of a mission.”

Vilkas felt his heart constrict when she said that; she valued him more as a friend than a person of authority. He stared into her eyes and saw fire blazing within them; he leaned in closer to that fire until they were just inches apart. Her breath hitched in her throat as his scent overwhelmed her senses; the smell of oak and grass in summertime flooded her nostrils. Something else was mixed in as well; something more primal that she couldn’t quite place. An intimate atmosphere settled around them as the two slowly inched closer; their noses were almost touching when Leilani’s eyes fluttered shut. Vilkas’s hand had come up to her face to cradle her cheek; the warmth of her skin dancing along his fingertips.

“What are you two doing?”

Danica had appeared from the temple; gently leaning against the door frame watching the two warriors with fascination. The two jumped apart and Vilkas put distance between them; a dark blush forming on Leilani’s cheeks at being caught by the healer. Vilkas quickly excused himself and ran up the steps to the mead hall until he was out of sight.

“Leilani; come inside you need to rest. And before you start pouting at me for interrupting your moment with lover boy over there remember who changes your bandages.”

“Yeah yeah; i’m coming….”

Leilani glanced back at the hall before disappearing inside of the temple; maybe she sees Vilkas as more than a friend after all...


	10. Becoming Aware

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani is finally free of her stone prison and is eager to see what the Jarl has to offer her. Vilkas however makes sure she knows that she can't get rid of him that easily.

Leilani spent two more days in the temple before Danica said it was time for her to leave and get back to her everyday life; when that day came Leilani happily dressed in her leather armour and walked through the doors. She hadn’t seen Vilkas since the night they returned from Jorrvaskr; when she remembered how close they came to kissing a slight blush colored her tan cheeks. Why hadn’t he come to see her the past couple days? Farkas hadn’t visited either which had her thinking that something may have happened; she pondered what could have happened to the twins as she climbed the steps to Jorrvaskr. When she entered the hall she found it nearly empty except for Athis and Torvar sitting at the table.

“Where is everybody? Surely they aren’t sleeping still?”

Athis looked up from his plate and waved Leilani over to where he and his shield brother were sitting. Leilani dropped her pack at her feet and pulled up a chair as Athis handed her a bottle of mead.

“Skjor and Aela are on a job in Falkreath hunting some beast; and I think Kodlak is down in his quarters with a potential client.”

“What about the brothers?”

“Oh; Vilkas took his brother on a mission a couple nights ago. I think it was the morning after your ceremony took place.”

“They left?”

“They should be back today or tomorrow; I wasn’t paying attention though.”

“Thanks Athis; I think I wanna go talk with Kodlak. Make sure Torvar doesn’t drink all the mead; I might want more than one bottle for a change.”

“No promises….”

She laughed and headed downstairs to find the Harbinger; she made a pit stop at her bunk to pack away some extra stuff she still had in her pack from her trial and then made her way to Kodlak’s room. She saw the Jarl’s steward leaving as she neared the end of the hall; she smiled at him but he just sneered and brushed her aside as he stomped past her. What’s up his ass? She saw Kodlak writing at his desk when she approached the old man’s study; she knocked lightly on the door frame and smiled when she saw his face.

“Hey old man; what’s the story with Proventus?”

“Ah Leilani; my heart warms at your presence. He was actually here for you my child; but when I told him that you were still resting at the temple he was upset. Apparently he’s tried to convince the Jarl that you are not the only one who can complete the task given to you, Proventus believes that he has found someone better. A common mercenary.”

“In the letter the Jarl sounded very understanding of my situation; I should probably head there now though if the steward is that upset..”

“That would be best; but Vilkas said something about accompanying you did he not?”

“H-how did you know that? He asked me that when we were sitting together by the Gildergreen. We were alone at the time…”

“No one is ever truly alone lass; besides I have my ways of obtaining information. He and Farkas should be returning from Rorikstead today; they took a job there it was something about bandits.”

“Vilkas didn’t say anything about a mission to me the night he walked me back to the temple..”

“Not surprising; he decided to leave once he returned to the hall. It was quite abrupt; Farkas asked to go with him because he thought Vilkas seemed to be acting oddly.”

“I see; well I don’t really have time to wait for them to return if the members of the Jarl’s court are that impatient for answers. Besides if it’s anything particularly dangerous i’ll report back to you; Vilkas can wait.”

“Alright; go on up to the palace. But remember that you are still recovering from the poison child. I don’t want you doing anything reckless yet; when the Jarl gives you the job come back here and tell me what it is no matter how harmless or dangerous it may be. Depending on what it entails I may want to send someone with you to complete it.”

“Yes Harbinger.”

Leilani exited the mead hall and slowly started to climb the staircase to Dragonsreach; although she was spotted by two nords returning from their travels. Farkas and Vilkas had just returned and saw the small breton on her way to the palace to answer her summons.

“Hey Vilkas look; Leilani seems to be all better now. Didn’t you want to go with her to see what the Jarl wanted?”

“Yes I did; but it seems like she forgot about that.”

“Well you did leave without telling her; and rather abruptly at that. Why did you decide to take that job?”

“I just needed to get my mind off somethings brother; that’s not important. What is important is that she thinks that she’s going by herself anywhere after just recovering from that poison.”

He handed his brother his satchel and jogged to where the breton was; he caught up to her and picked her up off the ground causing a yelp to come from the young woman.

“Vilkas! Put me down!”

“Where do you think you are going sister? Didn’t I tell you that I was coming with you?”

“You went on a job! I didn’t know when you’d be back; plus you didn’t even tell me you were leaving in the first place asshole!”

“Since when have I had to report my actions to you?”

“Well after what happened outside the temple-”

“We’ll talk about that later; right now let’s talk to the Jarl and see what he wants.”

“Then can you please put me down!”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“I can literally set you on fire..”

“Fair point.”

He set Leilani back down on the stone walkway and smiled at the glare she had sent his way; she rolled her eyes and stomped her way up to the giant wooden doors. Vilkas pushed one open with ease and beckoned her inside; after entering the impressive wooden palace Leilani heard a commotion near the front of the hall where the Jarl usually sat. She motioned for Vilkas to follow her and they made their way towards the throne. Irileth noticed the breton and whispered something to the Jarl who was currently in a heated debate with his steward. When the Jarl took notice of the breton and her nord companion he shushed his steward and beckoned for Leilani to come closer.

“Finally you’ve made your way to my palace; I heard about your health condition. For a second I thought you were taken from us. Glad to see that I was wrong.”

“I apologize for the wait Jarl; if I could have come sooner I would’ve.”

Vilkas shot her a look for apologizing for being ill; like she could control the rate that the poison left her body. She saw this out of the corner of her eye and elbowed Vilkas to make him stop.

“I’m sure you would have Leilani; but you are here now and that is all that matters. If you will please follow me; my court wizard has been researching these dragons and he believes that he has found something to aid in his research.”

Leilani dutifully followed the Jarl to a small alcove off the main hall where a hooded figure was bent over an alchemy table.

“Farengar; I have brought someone who might be able to assist you in your research.”

The mage turned at the Jarl’s voice and eyed Leilani skeptically; he ran his eyes over her body and she immediately wanted to rip his eyes from his skull for it. Vilkas noticed how the breton’s mood changed and he saw the way that the mage was judging her based on her outer appearance. She was small and seemed like she couldn’t lift the weapon she carried; but most people knew better than to mess with her. The mage approached the table in front of them and sighed.

“So the Jarl thinks you can be of use to me? Well we’ll see about that won’t we.”

Leilani tried to force a smile but it appeared like she growled at the poor wretch; Vilkas chuckled quietly when he saw the breton try to be polite in the Jarl’s presence.

“It’s my honor to serve the Jarl; what do you need me to do?”

“I need you to dive deep into an ancient nordic temple and find a relic that may or may not actually be there.”

“Uh; what do you mean it might not be there?”

“Well my source is usually reliable but can’t rule out the possibility of bandits plundering the ruins and finding it first now can we?”

“I guess not; so where am I going and what am I fetching?”

“You are on your way to Bleak Falls Barrow; it’s that ruin on the mountain across from Riverwood. I’m sure if you ask someone in that hole of town they could tell you how to get there.”

“I already know where it is; what is it that I am looking for though?”

“The Dragonstone; its an ancient relic that is no doubt entombed in the main chamber deep within the ruin. Then just bring it back to me and i’m sure the Jarl with compensate you for the trouble.”

“What does this Dragonstone have to do with the dragons coming back?”

“Oh; not just a brute but a thinker. Perhaps even a scholar? You see this stone is supposed to be a map of ancient dragon burial grounds. My client needs this relic to further their findings and they entrusted me to help find it since I know some things about dragons myself.”

“And who is this client?”

“I must maintain some privacy; you understand. Now off to Bleak Falls with you!”

With that the mage turned away from the two Companions and returned to his work station; Leilani turned to the Jarl who just shrugged his shoulders and wished her luck on her mission before returning to his duties. Leilani and Vilkas left the palace a few moments later and she stopped when they reached the bottom of the staircase.

“Well; I guess its time to make good on my promise to Lucan.”

“Who’s Lucan?”

“He’s a merchant that had a relic stolen from him a few months back; I tried finding out more information but nothing came up. He said that the bandits had run off towards the ruin that mage just told us about and I never had an excuse to follow up on that lead until now.”

“Hmm; well we can leave in the morning you should get a full night’s rest and stock up on potions and provisions before we head out. Those ruins are no laughing matter.”

“Who said you were coming with me?”

Vilkas had taken to leading the pair but stopped when he heard the breton’s question; he turned to see the small woman standing with her arms folded across her chest and a smirk forming on her lips. Vilkas mirrored her stance and playfully sent a glare her direction; Leilani wasn’t going to let him go without a fight this time.

“Kodlak said that he would assign someone to go with me; maybe I want Farkas to come along instead. Besides that will give you time to run off and do other missions again; like what you did a couple days ago.”

“Leilani…”

“Just saying; maybe Farkas or Aela want to come instead. I said you can come with me to the palace, not on the job itself.”

Vilkas’s playful glare soon turned into an actual one; he closed the distance between them and took her chin in his hand. Leilani had played out many scenarios in her mind but this had not been one of them; the cool fire that blazed within his silver eyes caught her off guard. He smirked at the fact that he had taken her by surprise and leaned in closer to the small breton.

“I won’t let you take anyone else whelp; i’m going whether you like it or not.”

“O-oh really? Says who?”

He brought his other hand up to brush away some stray hairs from her eyes; his touch had her gasping for air. How could she let herself get so swept up by two simple meaningless gestures; this was Vilkas for god's sakes. This was probably all just a joke to him anyway; why should she let it affect her like it does? Vilkas got even closer so their noses were almost touching and looked into her emerald eyes.

“Says me lass; no one can take care of you like I can. Ask Danica.”

With that he put some distance between them and walked towards Jorrvaskr leaving her gasping for air. Her cheeks reddened as she quickly caught up to him and hit him on the shoulder; he turned around to see the red faced breton fuming. She looked up at the smug nord and thought to herself; if he can do this to me then I can do it to him. She reached up and grabbed him by the collar of his armour and brought him down to her level; he wasn’t expecting her to pull that hard so he stumbled as he sunk down to her level.

“If you are the only one to care for me Vilkas; I expect a lot more than just common place intimacy.”

“What?!”

Leilani then wrapped her arms around Vilkas’s neck bringing his lips to meet hers; he’s not the only one that can use physical contact to get his way. Leilani felt the hesitation in his kiss before he finally let his instinct take over and actually enjoy the action. All Vilkas could focus on was the smell of lavender wafting around him as the small breton pressed herself into him;his hands easily encircled her tiny waist and help her there for what felt like ages. She finally broke away from him and happily trotted down the steps to the marketplace; she glanced back at the dumbfounded nord and giggled as she sped into Arcadia’s shop.

“What just happened?”

Vilkas had said this out loud but it was clearly directed at the breton that was no longer within his perimeters. He blinked a few times before his brain had actually registered what had happened; his eyes darted around to try and find the breton but he had not seen where she went. Damn; what did she do that for? What if someone saw? He looked around to see if anybody had witnessed their little public display of affection but to his luck no one was around; he ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled a breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“That woman; she has no idea what she just did. This can’t happen; not while I still have the beast blood. Not when i’m supposed to be the one she comes to for guidance. What would Kodlak say?”

“Well pup; I would say don’t let titles or age stop you from going after what you want. Besides that young breton suits you just fine in my eyes.”

The elder’s voice startled Vilkas as he spun around to see Kodlak boldly smiling at the entrance of Jorrvaskr. How had his wolf spirit not sensed the presence of Kodlak’s? Vilkas rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to find an explanation for what the Harbinger had just witnessed but his mind was blank.

“Lost the ability to speak have you? Well I see you’ve found other things for your mouth to do in the meantime.”

“Harbinger!”

“Haha; lighten up lad. You two young pups clearly have feelings for one another; why not just acknowledge them and become a couple?”

“I don’t know if she did that in earnest or just to mess with me; besides i’m a few years older than her. She’s still so young with a whole life ahead of her; i’d just slow her down from experiencing it…”

“I believe she is the one with the power to make that decision Vilkas; love is one of those things that no one can control. I think you may be surprised by her answer; no go and prepare for the mission I want you to get there and back in one piece this time. No poison arrows this time.”

“Yes Harbinger….”

Kodlak retreated back inside the mead hall just as Vilkas caught sight of Leilani; make a fool out of me huh girl? Well let’s see if your actions won’t be returned upon you ten fold. A few hours later Leilani had successfully gathered an obscene amount of healing and antidote potions as well as plenty of dried and preserved food for the journey. She was just exiting Belethor’s shop when a hand fell on her shoulder; that hand belonging to Vilkas who seemed less than pleased. Uh oh….

“I uh; got everything we needed…. We should be ready to set out at first light.”

“Hmph; good work. We need to talk whelp; come with me.”

“O-oh alright.”

She silently followed him back to Jorrvaskr and into the depths of the building where she quickly deposited her purchases in the chest at the foot of her bed. Vilkas patiently waited for her in the hallway before escorting her to his room and shutting the doors behind them.

“We need to talk about what you did today.”

A deep blush soon covered her cheeks when she remembered what she did before running to the marketplace. Truth be told she hadn’t thought much about it until halfway through her shopping when she realized that she wanted to do it again. Vilkas saw the blush and internally laughed; so she was flustered huh? Interesting… He tried to close the distance between them but every step he took the breton took one step back; quite the game of cat and mouse don’t you think?

“W-what about it? D-did I finally catch you off your game Vilkas?”

“In a way; but your technique was sloppy..”

“Oh well… Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Vilkas laughed as he neared the breton who was still backing away from the nord; that is until the backs of her knees hit the edge of his bed causing her to fall backwards onto it. She quickly sat up only to find herself caged between Vilkas’s arms as he leaned closer in closer. He could smell the blood rushing through her veins and hear the sound of her heart pounding against her chest. At least he wasn’t the only one affected.

“I mean; that with a little more practice and my skillful teaching your technique would no doubt be perfected….”

“O-oh; well sorry for being inexperienced… I haven’t exactly gotten close enough to do that before now.”

“Hmmm; well then I will happily educate you whelp. That is if you’ll have me?”

“U-uh; well um..”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Vilkas closed the remaining distance between them and took her lips in a heated kiss; he felt her tense but before long she relaxed and followed his lead. Although Leilani’s prideful nature soon began aching for control over the situation; she opted to let Vilkas take the lead and she enjoyed every second of it. She let out a small moan which prompted Vilkas to probe her mouth with his tongue; she whimpered at the gesture and he felt her arms reach up and encircle his neck. He broke the kiss and leaned back far enough to look into her eyes; those bright emerald’s had become clouded with lust and he reveled in the fact that he was the one to put her in this state. But they had a job to do in the morning and she needed to be able to walk to get to the destination; he left one last lingering kiss on her now swollen lips. As he pulled away he brushed a few strand of hair away from her flushed features; he cradled her face in his hands and smiled as she leant into his touch.

“This is as far as we go for now; one step at a time Leilani. Wouldn’t want to rush into anything now would we?”

“I’m a quick learner…”

“Hmph; well i’m a patient teacher. Let’s stop this for today and rest up for the journey tomorrow. Don’t worry I won’t leave you hanging for long.”

That caused her to scoff and jump off his bed; she strutted over to the door and glanced over her shoulder at the man she had come to admire.

“We’ll see about that; after all i’ve been known to be quite persistent about things that I want. This is no exception; we’ll see who gives in first lover boy.”

“If you say so whelp.”

She smirked and exited the room with a spring in her step; life was sure going to get a lot more interesting now. After all her first romance was bound to be more exciting than anything that this ruin could bring about.


	11. Bleak Falls Barrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani and Vilkas set off to find the secrets that lie within Bleak Falls Barrow.

Leilani awoke the next morning full of energy and ready to set out on the mission; she had been down for so long that a good old fashioned adventure is just what she needed. And her activities with Vilkas the night before had given her plenty reason to be up at the break of dawn. She had decided to put on a simple cotton tunic and breeches instead of her armour; she had a plan to get Vilkas back. She had awakened before anyone else and readied her pack before creeping to Vilkas’s room and edging the door open enough for her to peek inside. She saw him lying on his back still peacefully sleeping; perfect. She put her pack in the hall and tiptoed silently into his room closing the door quietly behind her; time for me to be the cat in this game. She crept over to the bedside and made sure Vilkas was still fast asleep before she tentatively hoisted herself up and over him; her legs on either side of his hips. Her arms placed gently on either side of his head; she quietly lowered herself down until she was close enough to sit on his lap. Then she smiled and dropped all of her weight down onto his hips causing his eyes to open wide and his hands to find their place on her hips.

“What in the name of Talos?! Leilani? Ugh; why are you in my room. Actually why are you on top of me?”

“Just thought I would wake you up; did I disturb your dreams?”

She had no idea what kind of dream she had actually interrupted; in fact Vilkas’s dream was quite similar to this situation except with less clothing involved. Vilkas moaned as he felt his member twitch underneath the breton; this was not a good position for her to be in. He felt his beast blood stir at the thought of taking the breton right there; Leilani felt something twitch between her thighs and a blush covered her cheeks.

“I guess I did disturb your dreams if you’re this excited so early in the morning…”

“Hmph; don’t go there lass. We need to leave today and not be fooling around; besides you aren’t ready for this yet.”

“Says who? I said I was a quick learner.”

“Leilani….”

The breton pouted and refused to move from her position above the nord; Vilkas rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Guess we’ll have to do this the hard way.”

“What?”

Vilkas grabbed her wrists and quickly rolled her onto her back so he was now caging her with his body; his hands still pinning her wrists to the furs beneath them. Her legs had wrapped around his waist on instinct; afraid to fall off the bed if he had tried to throw her. Her pulse quickened when she saw the position they were now in; Vilkas brought his face closer to hers and kissed the tip of her nose. Her eyes fluttered shut as she waited for him to do more; his lips then found their way to her eyelids and her cheeks before stopping to hover over her lips. He marveled at how vulnerable she had become in such a short amount of time with him; he leant down and placed a heated kiss against her soft lips. Moaning as his tongue explored every last crevice in her mouth before breaking away and placing a kiss on her neck. She felt a slight stinging sensation before she realized what he had just done; she put her hands on his chest and gently pushed him up and off of her as her hand felt for the heated spot on her neck. Sure enough she felt a small section of her skin rise above the others; she rolled her eyes and glared at the nord who was proud of his work.

“A mark?! Really?!”

“I told you not to rush into things whelp; this is what you get for tempting me.”

“How am I supposed to hide this?”

“You won’t have to if we leave soon enough; let’s get a move on.”

Vilkas got up off the bed and offered her his hand so they could get ready to leave; she took it and hoisted herself up onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. He smiled and pulled her close to him; she hugged him back and laughed. He opened the door for her and smacked her ass on the way out which caused a yelp of surprise to escape her lips; she glared at him over her shoulder as he chuckled and closed the door so he could change into his wolf armour. A few minutes later he met Leilani near the entrance of Jorrvaskr with a sweetroll in his hand; she thought he looked like a child while he happily munched on his breakfast as they made their way towards the gate.

“I didn’t know you liked sweet rolls. Although i’m learning an awful lot about you recently; not that i’m complaining.”

“Easy there girl; let’s just get this job over with so the Jarl and his court wizard will leave you alone. There are still plenty of jobs to do when we get back; as well as that training I promised you.”

“Can’t wait; although I wonder why the Jarl wanted me specifically for this job. I don’t really know anything about dragons like Farengar does.”

“Well from what I heard they just need some muscle to go into this ruin and find that stone they were talking about; can’t be that hard although we’ll probably have to deal with some draugr and if that merchant you know says that the bandits are up there as well we will definitely have our hands full.”

“You have a point; good thing I stocked up on those potions. I also stopped by the temple and grabbed some of that salve Danica made for my wound; figured it couldn’t hurt to have that with us.”

“Good thinking; I packed the tents and bedrolls in my pack so depending on how far we get today we may need to make camp.”

“There’s an inn in Riverwood; why don’t we just rest there if need be?”

“I like camping; experiencing the wilds of Skyrim under the starlit sky is not a bad view.”

“I guess; but inns have warm beds and hot meals. That seems hard to pass up.”

“We could hunt and fish while camping; start a fire and roast some fresh game. Sounds better than day old inn food if you ask me.”

“Agree to disagree Vilkas; let’s focus on getting to Riverwood by noon.”

“Whatever you say whelp.”

She rolled her eyes and took the lead as they walked through the fields and up into the small woods that surrounded the settlement. They encountered a few wolves that they quickly disposed of and collected their skins to sell. Leilani gently put the pelts in her pack and cleaned her knife in the nearby river; Vilkas had silently watched her skin the animals and was impressed at with her skill.

“Where did you learn to hunt?”

“My father; she taught my brother and I when we were young. He was always proud of my ability to properly skin the animals; we always got good money for the pelts.Then as I got older it all stopped...”

“I bet; i’m impressed with your skill. Your father must have been a great teacher, but-”

“Yes; he was.”

She quickly dropped the conversation not wanting to talk about her father yet; that was a betrayal she didn’t wish to relive. With her knife now clean she carefully slide it back inside her boot and continued walking towards Riverwood; Vilkas sensed the shift in her moods and chose to let the conversation drop until she was ready to openly talk about it. They made it to Riverwood after a few hours of walking and Leilani smiled when she saw that a certain blonde nord had still not left for Windhelm. Vilkas saw her speed up when she saw a man near the entrance of the village; Vilkas scowled and wondered who this man might be to cause her mood to brighten.

“Ralof! You lazy oaf I thought you left for Windhelm ages ago!”

“Leilani? Lass!”

She threw her arms around Ralof’s neck as he circled her waist with his arms and spun around in circles; she laughed and clung tightly to his neck until the world stopped turning. He gently set her down and dropped his hand onto her head; he tousled her hair and chuckled when she batted his hand away like a kitten with a ball of yarn.

“I did leave for Windhelm shortly after you left for the Whiterun; I was sent here to gather information about the Empire’s hold on Falkreath. What have you been up to these last few months? Staying safe I hope?”

“It’s been good and bad; but I joined the Companions and have been doing jobs for them and earning decent coin.”

“Impressive; the Companions are a very highly thought of group. I’m proud of you girl!”

“Thanks Ralof; i’m actually on my way to do something for the Jarl. We need to get to Bleak Falls Barrow and get a relic that’s supposed to be there.”

“Is that so? Well be careful when you get there; wouldn’t want a beautiful single lady like yourself dying up there in that place.”

Vilkas snorted at the mention of Leilani dying on his watch let alone being single; this nord obviously didn’t know how strong she had become in her short time with the Companions. Nor did he realize who she is traveling with; which he was upset about for two reasons.

“Who is this fellow with you?”

“Oh this is Vilkas! He is part of the Circle; the higher ranked Companions. He’s helping me with this job since I was ill for a few weeks.”

“You were sick?”

“More like poisoned; according to the priestess at the temple in Whiterun I almost died. Guess I was lucky my friends got me to her in time; Vilkas actually helped nurse me back to full health.”

“Then I owe you a favour my friend; i’ve known this little breton since our escape from Helgen. Although if a dragon couldn’t kill her it’s no surprise a poison couldn’t either.”

“You know I won’t die that easily Ralof; anyway want to grab lunch with us? It’s about that time anyway isn’t it?”

Ralof smiled kindly at the breton but felt an unexplainable chill run down his spine; he realized it was coming from her traveling companion. The glare that he was receiving was enough for him to politely decline the offer from his friend.

“Maybe another time Leilani; I promised Gerdur that I would spend time with her and her family while I was in town. But if you ever find yourself in Windhelm feel free to look me up anytime.”

“Oh; well alright I’ll see you later then, it was nice talking to you.”

“Same to you friend; be careful now.”

She hugged the blonde goodbye and she and Vilkas continued towards the trader to see what they could get for the pelts that had obtained. While inside Leilani told Lucan she was finally able to go to Bleak Falls in search of his artifact which brought a smile to the shop owner’s face. He gave them a few extra coins for their pelts which were spent buying a couple extra health potions and cheese wedges. They waved goodbye and then were back on the road to Bleak Falls; Leilani had sensed that Vilkas was upset by the encounter with Ralof but she didn’t know how to address it. Might as well be straightforward with him; skip all the drama anyway.

“Vilkas are you okay?”

“Why do you ask?”

“It feels like since we left Ralof your mood has not been the best…”

“Are you suggesting i’m jealous?”

“I didn’t say that….”

“Well I didn’t expect you to fling your arms around the first man you saw.”

“Oh gods; he’s just a friend Vilkas. He helped me escape Helgen; I might have died if he hadn’t helped me! Then we would have never met; besides I don’t like him like that. I think of him more as a brother than anything.”

“Hmph.”

“Vilkas….”

“I believe you; it just shocked me that’s all. Come on let’s go; we should be able to get to the ruins within the hour if we hurry. Don’t want to be caught in the dark up there.”

“Alright..”

They made their way out of town and up the mountain towards the ruins; Leilani spotted a watchtower in the distance and told Vilkas that she thought she saw people around it. Vilkas squinted against the falling snow and saw that she was right; two on the outside and one on top of the tower. They calmly walked towards the tower with Vilkas in the lead; the people at the tower spied them and went on alert. A man approached them and shot a wink towards Leilani; ew.

“Bad time to get lost friends; turn around while you still have the chance.”

Vilkas sneered at the smell of the man; the smell of dried blood and alcohol flooded his senses. He stood protectively in front of Leilani and tried to reason with the man.

“We just want to get to the ruins; let us pass and no one will get hurt.”

Vilkas had noticed that the archer on the roof was now aiming an arrow at them and that the other person outside had drawn their weapon. The man laughed and glanced at Leilani with a toothy grin; she felt his gaze travel up and down her body. It was almost like her skin was covered in cold slime; she shuddered at the thought of him coming closer.

“Well friend i’m afraid no one gets to those ruins; we were hired to keep people out after all. Our client has a special key that only unlocks the secrets of these ruins; we protect him and get a cut of the treasure he finds. Although that lass you have with ya is almost better than any treasure; maybe if we have some time with her we’ll let you pass..”

Vilkas's beast blood was running hot at the thought of someone else touching Leilani; the fact the man in front of him was a murderous bandit only fueled the fire more. He nearly growled at the man when he put his hand on the sword at his hip.

“Touch the girl and you die. Now.Back.OFF!”

The bandit didn’t seem phased in the slightest which was his mistake; Vilkas’s blade found its home in the bandit’s gut splattering his blood into the white snow at their feet. The archer had fired their arrow but the shot went wide; Leilani equipped her ax and rushed towards the tower where the other bandit was waiting with a greatsword held in his hands. She deftly dodged the man’s swing and planted her ax into his side pulling a scream of pain from the bandit as he fell to his knees. She pulled her ax from his side and lodged it in his throat instead to end his suffering; blood splashed onto her face and she felt her stomach flip inside of her. She had gotten better with killing in order to protect herself but when a stranger’s blood smeared on her face it still caused her nausea to stir.

“Leilani! Duck!”

She hit the ground just in time to avoid an arrow; she rolled away from the body on the ground and took cover behind a nearby tree. She saw Vilkas rush into the tower to find the archer and a few minutes later he emerged with blood covering most of his armour. She ran to his side and inspected him for injuries; she saw a couple small cuts on his face but nothing to serious. She reached into her pack and handed him a small healing potion which he thankfully took; he uncorked the bottle and drained its contents in one gulp. The cuts started to fade away one by one to her delight; she walked past him and inside the tower to find some healing potions as well as a couple coin purses on the shelves. She emptied their contents into her our coin purse and left the small empty sacks strewn about the tower; by the time she emerged from the tower Vilkas had finished cleaning his blade. She cleaned off her ax and then grabbed a handful of snow and rubbed it on her face to get rid of the blood that was there; Vilkas watched her clean herself off and smiled at the fact that she was safe and that she had put up a good fight against an attacker that was twice her size.

“Ready to go?”

“Yeah; just had to clean my face. I still don’t like wearing the blood of my enemies; I don’t know what Skjor sees in it..”

“He’s had more experience than you lass; let’s get going according to what those bandits said we can count on more of their friends when we reach the ruins.”

“Ugh; great.”

Sure enough when they reached the summit they saw archers watching out for intruders; they made quick work of the bandits outside of the temple and proceeded to enter the mysterious ruins. A couple more bandits blocked the inner entrance but put up little resistance for the two Companions; Leilani spied a chest and pulled out her lock picks and made quick work of the lock. Not much was found in the chest but she did take the coin purse and the stamina potion that was awaiting inside.

“We make a great team don’t we?”

“Of course; you seem surprised Vilkas.”

“Just stating a fact.”

She laughed as they made their way through Draugr infested hallways; soon she saw spiderwebs decorating the wall. She also heard someone’s voice coming through the walls; she stopped in her tracks and soon she heard it again.

“Hello? Is that you Roggvir? I’m sorry I ran off with the claw; but please I need help.”

She glanced at Vilkas who already had a hand on his sword; she cut through some thick webs into a large chamber completely covered in spider webs and petrified bodies. Then a large shadow covered the floor as a gigantic frost spider lowered itself down from the ceiling; her heart stopped at the sight of the monster it’s fangs dripping with poison as it’s eyes watched her every step.

“Leilani move!”

She snapped out of her trance just in time to roll to the side out of the spider’s reach; Vilkas charged towards the monster and blinded it with quick stabs to its eyes. Then Leilani regained her footing and jumped on top of the monster before slamming her ax into it’s skull sending it into oblivion.

“God’s; I never realized how much I hate spiders. I can see why Farkas isn’t a fan.”

Then Vilkas brought her attention to a dark elf caught in the spider webs; they cautiously approached the dunmer and asked how he had gotten himself in this mess. He then explained how he had come across the golden claw in Lucan’s shop which set off red flags for Leilani; she readied her weapon and pointed at the thief accusingly.

“So you were the one that robbed Lucan; i’m not impressed. Looks like i’ll be taking that claw back to its owner.”

The dunmer seemed to panic and revealed that the claw was needed to get to the inner sanctum where the main chamber was located. So Leilani needed the claw to get the dragonstone; how convenient. She cut the dunmer down but before she could order him to return the claw the elf ran off at top speed trying to escape. Unfortunately when the two Companions found him a draugr was standing over his dead body; they killed the small group of draugr and made their way over to the elf’s body.

“Let’s see what you’ve got shall we?”

Leilani searched his pockets for coins and then his satchel where the golden claw was awaiting. She examined the claw as she picked it up; three symbols decorated its palm and she thought that the markings seemed rather familiar. Almost like the puzzle lock they had to figure out to get to where the dunmer was. After walking through the halls for a few more minutes they came to what Vilkas called the hall of stories.

“The what?”

“The hall of stories; it’s ancient akaviri writings and drawings on the walls. Usually depicting certain old heros; and that is a puzzle door at the end. That claw is the key to getting past it; those three symbols probably open it if arranged properly."

Leilani examined the claw once more and then lined up the symbols from the outer ring working her way towards the center until she inserted the claw and the door opened wide. She stashed the claw back in her pack and walked into the cavernous room before them; bats fled out of the newly opened door as the two neared the back of the room. Leilani spied another wall like the one in Dustman’s Cairn and heard the nordic chants calling her towards it. When she ran her hand along the engravings another word flooded into her mind; ** _FUS_**. This word repeating over and over into her mind until the noise faded away and she heard a loud pop behind her as a draugr deathlord came to life once more. The draugr was a hard fight but she and Vilkas finally brought it down; Leilani approached the stone coffin and pulled an ancient looking stone from it.

“I guess this is it..”

“Doesn’t look so special to me; I hope that mage knows what he was talking about.”

“Me too; well let’s get out of here I don’t want to see the inside of another nordic ruin for a while.”

“Agreed.”

They found the hidden passage and eventually entered the cold outer world of Skyrim once more. By the time they made it back to Riverwood it was early morning; before the sun had even lifted into the sky. They stumbled into the inn and rented a room to split; as soon as Leilani closed the door behind them she stripped out of her armour and threw on her sleep clothes before falling into bed. Vilkas laughed at how exhausted the young breton was as he tucked her into bed; he then went out and rented another room for himself and soon he was slipping away into his dreams as well. In the morning the two got dressed and returned the claw to Lucan who gladly paid them for their trouble as well as giving Leilani a discount at the shop. They thanked him and returned home within the next hour; when they entered the city Mila had rushed to greet Leilani like usual. The little girl asked about her adventures and Leilani happily told of terrifying draugr and bandits that they had defeated before telling the child that she wanted to rest.

“It feels good to finally be home; let’s get this cursed stone to the mage and then head back to Jorrvaskr for a hot meal i’m starving!”

They made quick work of the steps in front of Dragonsreach and burst through the doors of the palace; Leilani found the mage in deep conversation with a hooded figure about dragons. She interrupted being far too tired to care about etiquette at the time.

“Here’s your damned stone; now if that is all you needed there is a hot meal and relaxing bath with my name on it.”

The mage’s mysterious visitor glanced at Leilani curiously.

“You were able to get it? I’m impressed you did well.”

“Thanks.”

Then Irileth’s voice rang throughout the hall as she called for the court mage.

“Farengar come at once a dragon has been spotted near Whiterun! You should come too we need all the help we can get; if a dragon has decided to attack us I’m not so sure we can stop it.”

Leilani stared in horror; another dragon? And the Jarl wanted her help to defend the city? Vilkas immediately grabbed her shoulder; she looked up to see concerned eyes staring back at her.

“Leilani; I don’t think we can handle a dragon just yet.”

“The Jarl asked for my help Vilkas; besides Whiterun is my home now and i’ll be damned if I let that dragon take this away from me!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank the readers for taking time to read and comment on my work! I appreciate all the feedback I get and hope you continue to enjoy Leilani's story!


	12. Dragonborn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani learns of her gift to shout; but can she handle the pressure that comes with it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *SMUT WARNING* If romantic sexy time isn't your thing then I suggest you skip the end of this chapter ;-)

The western watchtower; a dragon was attacking the western watchtower. So close to what Leilani called home where she had worked so hard to make a name for herself; this beast was threatening that existence. She and Vilkas had listened to guard’s story about the monster circling over the watchtower; the way the guards described the dragon it wasn’t the one she had escaped at Helgen. The Jarl ordered his housecarl to gather a group of soldiers to fight the beast; then the old tired looking nord turned to face Leilani.

“There is no time for formalities my friends; I need your help again.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Go with Irileth and her men to the watchtower; bring down this dragon and protect my people.”

“I-”

Vilkas grabbed her arms and pulled her close to his chest; she turned to look into his eyes only to see anger and fire lying behind them.

“Leilani; you don’t have to do this. A dragon is no laughing matter; you can’t just wonder into this fight unprepared!”

“It’s not like I have time to prepare for it Vilkas! The Jarl needs our help; we need to protect Whiterun and everyone inside the walls. Our brothers and sisters count among those people; we can’t sit idly by and do nothing!”

“But-”

“No buts; stay here and make sure the townspeople are safe and that the rest of the Companions know what is going on. If we can’t stop this monster then we have to be prepared to evacuate the city.”

“You don’t expect me to just let you go alone; do you?”

“The Companions can’t afford to lose two of us; you need to stay back and help prepare the people. Please Vilkas trust me.”

“Leilani..”

“Please Vilkas; let me help the people. I promise that i’ll come back alive; you know I won’t die that easily.”

Vilkas waged an inner war with himself; she had just gotten better and now she was charging into danger once again. And wanting to do it alone; that was what Vilkas didn’t like. He knew that she had a point; he needed to help the Companions organize the people if things didn’t go as planned with the dragon. He saw determination deep within her eyes as he looked down on her; they had just begun would it really end just as quickly?

“You better come back to me whelp; or I swear on the Divines I will find you in the afterlife and give you a lecture like you wouldn’t believe.”

Leilani smiled as she handed Vilkas her pack to take with him back to Jorrvaskr; she took two health potions and some cord from her pack and tied them to her waist for easy access. She looked at the Jarl who was patiently awaiting her answer.

“I am at your service my Jarl; I will fight to protect this city and its people.”

“Thank you Leilani. Now Irileth this isn’t a death or glory mission; we need to bring this beast down.”

That’s when Farengar decided to put in his two cents; damn arrogant mage.

“Jarl; I think I should accompany them so I can study the dragon up close and-”

“No Farengar; you will stay in the city and help direct the people. Now go; gods only know what that beast has already done…”

Irileth bowed to the Jarl and then told Leilani that they would meet at the tower; the jarl and his attendants rushed about trying to arrange for provisions to be delivered to the people in case the dragon overtook Whiterun. Leilani and Vilkas were left alone standing by the table that held the Jarl’s battle plans and annotated maps; she didn’t know what to say to the nord in front of her. She was pretty much going on a suicide mission to kill a fire breathing lizard; gods maybe she truly was insane.

“Leilani..”

She looked up into his silver eyes and felt his hand cradle her cheek; taking in warmth from his touch she smiled and covered his hand with hers. The smell of nature surrounding them as their scents intertwined; she felt protected and that was enough to give her the courage to fight this flying demon on her own. Even if she did die she knew that one day Vilkas would join her in the afterlife; her eyelids fluttered closed as she felt his presence grow closer. Their lips met briefly but it was enough to convey their feelings to one another; time to kill a dragon.

“I’ll be back before you know it; with that dragon’s hide trailing behind me.”

“I’ll await your return sister; you will surely have quite the story to tell when you get back.”

One of the Jarl’s servants came up to her and handed her a second ax; she examined it and tied it onto her belt opposite her other one. Vilkas was still so very close to her; so much so that she could feel his body heat radiating off of him.

“It’s time; be safe Vilkas. If anything goes wrong; well make sure Mila and Lucia make it out okay they still have so much life ahead of them.”

“As do you lass…”

She sighed and then jogged down the stairs away from Vilkas; she need to catch up to the dark elf before they got to far ahead. Soon she was outside of the stables with the rest of the small troupe that the housecarl had assembled; it wasn’t quite the esteemed dragon killing company she had expected but she didn’t have time to complain about it. They reached the outer perimeter of the watchtower; only to find chunks of stone thrown about with flames engulfing most of the dried grass that surrounded the structure.

“No sign of any dragon; but it sure looks like he’s been here. Look for survivors;lets see if that dragon left anything behind.”

Leilani had equipped her axes and was slowly making her way towards the tower; she climbed the broken steps to find a man cowering in fear just inside the door. She sheathed her weapons and approached the man with caution.

“Hey; are you alright?”

“What? What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here; it’s still here some place a couple men got grabbed when they tried to make a run for it!”

“Oh; we-”

She heard a monstrous roar rip its way through the air shaking the very foundation of the tower; she armed herself as she heard the shouts of the guards outside. Shit; she hadn’t thought about grabbing her bow before making her way here she didn’t think she had the time. Then she heard a rough gravel like voice boom overhead; did that monster just speak? She dashed outside to see a tan monstrosity flying around the tower breathing fire at anything that moved; she marveled at the sheer destruction it left in its wake. The beast spied her and she sensed something inside her start to awaken; it was almost like the time she read those weird word walls in the ruins. Then she heard the beast speak once more and one word stood out to her; **_Dovahkiin._**

“Is it talking to me?”

A soldier next to her flashed her a confused side glance and quickly resumed firing arrows at the beast. Leilani slowly walked down the small staircase and out into the open plains; the dragon spotted his target and circled around to land just a few feet in front of her. The very ground shook as that monster landed; she was enraptured by its golden eyes almost telling her to join him in the destruction of the tower. Her spirit shook with anticipation as she readied herself for battle; she could have sworn the dragon smiled as it reared it’s horned head back and called upon its fire.

“Not today you overgrown Argonian!”

She dodged the deadly flames and rolled under the beast; she planted her axes firmly in its belly before ripping them upwards to tear at the monster’s rough hide. The beast roared in pain as she did so and tried to claw at her with its wings; each time the beast thrashed she dodged before the hit could land. She heard the dark elf call out an order to attack it while she had it distracted and soon the lizard was surrounded by nords; every stab from her comrades sent the monster reeling. She saw an opening to jump onto the flying demon and took it; slamming one of her axes into the dragon’s eye socket and hoisting herself onto its head as it whipped around trying to throw her off.

“No...one threatens...my family!”

She drove her ax into the dragon’s skull causing an eruption of blood to cover her armour; the dragon reared back and then collapsed onto the ground. Leilani quickly dislodged her ax and stared at the beast as it bled out. The tan lizard's eyes met hers as she gave a triumphant smirk; before the beast took its last breath he addressed her one final time.

“ ** _Dovahkiin_**? Nooooo!”

She was still in awe at the size of the beast to notice that it’s hide had started glowing and flaking off the monster’s bones. An otherworldly light swirled up and over the now deceased dragon; Leilani stared in disbelief as light flowed from the evaporating dragon. Then she felt a surge of pain as that light ripped through her body; she let out a scream as her brain pounded with energy. One word had decided to continuously repeat in her memories; **FUS**. The word pounded in her head until it was too much to bare; she tilted her head towards the sky and opened her mouth to scream; but instead of her normal cry of pain a powerful gust escaped from her lips and up into the air.

“ ** _FUS_**!”

The light around her had begun to fade as she slowly regained balance; her world was still spinning when the men had come to surround her. Leilani forced her eyes to refocus as she gazed at the slack jawed nords around her; her pain still throbbing with whatever power she had just absorbed from her enemy. She looked back towards the fallen dragon and realized it was just a pile of bones now; her eyes widened at the sheer absurdity of the situation. How had a living, breathing dragon just turned to bones in a matter of seconds? And what had happened to her? All she knew was that something inside of her was finally awake and she felt more powerful now than she ever had before. It was like she had finally found a missing part of herself; she finally felt complete in her existence.

“Y-you; you are Dragonborn!”

“Dragonborn? What? What’s a Dragonborn?”

“It means that you have the spirit of one of those beasts inside you; in fact old legends state that only the dragonborn can truly kill a dragon by taking it’s soul. That was what you did just now wasn’t it?”

“I don’t know what happened to me; I feel different though..”

“And that shout; you can use the power of the Thu’um; that just proves that you are Dragonborn!”

“Thu’um?”

“What you just did! You spoke the ancient tongue of the dragons; you really are dragonborn!”

“Slow down there friend; I have no idea what happened let’s not jump to conclusions.”

“You’re the hero of legend! We must tell the Jarl; you must report your findings.”

“But-”

“The men are right Leilani.”

“Irileth?”

“Go to the Jarl and tell him what happened with the dragon; he’s no doubt awaiting word of the outcome of this fierce battle. Explain what you felt and he might be able to help.”

Leilani looked around the small group with frightened eyes; she heard their whispers and how they already were so sure of her power. She got scared and ran at top speed back towards the city; there is no way that she can be a legendary hero when she can’t even duel wield correctly. Then a thundering voice came down from the mountains; she embraced the sound as it enveloped the whole capitol. What was that? She had heard that gods be damned word once again; **_Dovahkiin_**.

What does this all mean for her future? Was she expected to go from city to city slaying dragon’s left and right and be hailed as the savior of Nirn?! NO! I can’t do that; that is not the life I want to lead. I don’t want the weight of that on my shoulders; I don’t want it! Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes as she ran through the gates of Whiterun and up into Dragonsreach.

“Jarl!”

“Leilani? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing; um we defeated the dragon but the watchtower was destroyed..”

“I see; well at least that beast is gone for good. Did anything else happen?”

She could tell that he already knew something; she saw it in his eyes as he awaited her response. She took a deep breath and dried her eyes on her sleeve.

“When the dragon died I absorbed some kind of power from it. The men were calling me...Dragonborn.”

“So it’s true; that was the Greybeard’s summoning you to High Hrothgar. That’s a tremendous honor for someone so young; not to mention someone of breton descent. It was always rumored that those born of the dragon blood were related to the emperor himself. You must answer the summons girl; if the Greybeards called for you there is no denying it.”

“Who or what are the Greybeards?”

A man dressed in hide armour slammed his mug of mead down on the table; he briskly walked up to the small breton and grabbed her arm.

“You’re kidding right? The Greybeards are masters of the Voice; they’re the monks that live up on the Throat of the World. That loud noise you heard returning to Whiterun was them calling you to their monastery on the mountain; if anyone can teach you about the blood it would be them.”

Leilani couldn’t make heads or tails of her situation; voices started to fade away as she sunk further and further into herself. She wasn’t ready for this much responsibility; how could she be responsible for so many lives whens he couldn’t even protect her own kin? She felt her anxiety start to overwhelm her; her hands started shaking and her faced paled at the thought of her failing the people of Skyrim. It wasn’t until she felt the Jarl’s hand on her shoulder that she snapped back to reality; the nord was smiling despite the breton’s terrified expression.

“I name you Thane Leilani; you have the right to purchase property and I give you a personal housecarl. Lydia. Talk to Proventus if you want to buy a house here in the city.”

With that the Jarl retreated upstairs and Leilani was left standing near the fireplace at the center of the room. She felt completely alone; she couldn’t face her destiny not now not like this. She simply wasn’t ready; although she knew she had little choice if the dragon’s were returning. She felt the urge to run and disappear somewhere far away from where she was standing; where no one would ever find her. Where she could be free from titles and not worry about destiny; she felt trapped like she had in her childhood. Only this time she was alone; her family was far from Skyrim and her nerves were beginning to deteriorate the longer she stood there.

“I gotta get out of here…”

She fled from the hall ignoring the calls of a brunette woman clad in steel armour as she burst through the wooden doors and into the city. Her mind racing and heart pumping faster than they ever had before; she even ignored the familiar voice calling for her as she ran past Jorrvaskr. Vilkas staring worriedly at her retreating form as she fled from the city; she needs help.

“Leilani! Wait!”

He sped off after her trying to stop her as she neared the gates; it was like she hadn’t heard him calling out for her. He took larger strides and eventually wrapped his hand around her arm and yanked her backwards into his chest. She fought against him like a wild cat, tears forming in her eyes as she tried to get away from him. What had gotten into her?

“Leilani! Stop thrashing about; it’s me Vilkas!”

“Let me go! I can’t stay here; let me leave!”

“Not until you explain yourself lass; stop trying to leave me behind!”

His words made her pause for a moment and process her surroundings; people were staring and Vilkas was looking at her like she had gone insane. Hell she probably had with all the information that was flooding her brain. She let the tears flow from her eyes as quiet sobs racked her body; Vilkas stroked her hair as she pressed herself into his chest to hide from the world.

“What happened lass?”

She shook her head and refused to speak to him; he gently placed the hand that had been restraining her arm on her lower back and started walking towards Jorrvaskr. The lass seemed so fragile with every glance he stole at her; she seemed broken and he hated to see her eyes so dull and void of emotion. When they finally reached the mead hall he eased open the doors and guided her down into the bowels of the hall. Kodlak saw them enter the lower level and was shocked to see the young breton in such a state; the old man approached the couple and took Leilani’s chin in his hand forcing her to make eye contact with him. As soon as she looked into his calm silver orbs she collapsed into Kodlak’s arms and lost consciousness; Kodlak easily scooped up the lass and carried her into his quarter’s where she could have some privacy. When the elder had laid her on the bed and securely shut and locked the doors to the bedroom he turned towards a very concerned looking Vilkas.

“I don’t know what happened Kodlak; she went to fight the dragon and when I saw her leave Dragonsreach moments ago she seemed to be so panicked.”

The elder remained silent as he took a seat at the mall table in the corner of the room; he felt his old bones creak and ache as he sat in the chair. His hand reaching up to run through his silver hair as he relaxed; the lass couldn’t possibly be…. Or could she?

“Vilkas; you heard the voice from the mountain did you not.”

“It was hard not to hear it master; but what does this have to do with Leilani?”

“What if she was the one that the Greybeard’s summoned? What if she is the Dragonborn?”

“Leilani? The hero of legend? It seems very unlikely Harbinger….”

“What else could have shaken the lass like that? We know Leilani to be a stubborn girl with an iron will. The only thing I could think of to make her act like this would be that she is the Dragonborn.”

“But-”

“We can’t rule it out; but enough talk we need to watch her. She might try to run again when she wakes up; call Danica and ask for some potions that help calm the mind and put one at ease. I’ll watch her while you are away.”

“Y-yes Kodlak…”

After about five hours Leilani awoke in an unfamiliar bed staring at the ceiling; her memories of fire and blood rushing to the front of her mind as she started to cry once more. The Thalmor, her brother, her father, all memories that were once sealed away came flooding back. The same pressure to uphold her family’s traditions and become this pristine daughter that her father could marry off; each punch the Thalmor threw at her came rushing back. She had read stories of the fabled nordic heros who could shout but she never believed them; now she was one of those hero’s with a destiny to defend all of Tamriel from an inescapable fate. She ran from her duties back in High Rock and now that same instinct was telling her to flee from Skyrim as well; her body couldn’t bare the thought of further punishment. She turned to see potion bottles and a note sitting on the end table; she grabbed the note and unfolded it.

_**Leilani,** _

**_Please drink these elixers; they are meant to help clear the mind and set one on the right path. Know that the Companions are here for you in this time of need; although we have locked you in this room we want you to know that running is simply not an option at the moment. We want to help you through this my daughter; if after you still feel like fleeing no one will stop you. Although Vilkas might have a few choice words with you. Rest now and allow the potions to do their job._ **

**_-Kodlak_ **

She placed the paper back on the end table and picked up the small blue potions; she uncorked both and drank them. She let her eyelids grow heavy and sunk into the furs to try and find some comfort in their warmth; nightmares filled her vision ones that she couldn’t escape. Then when the nightmare was about to take a turn for the worst Vilkas appeared in her dream. He cut down every Thalmor he saved her brother before he had perished; then he got to her. He unbound her hands and carried her out of that gods forsaken dungeon before returning her to her doorstep where she saw her mother waiting with open arms as her father was taken away in chains. Her dream ended when her mother embraced her; she felt a warmth spread through her chest when her eyes opened. She took the dream as a sign that running wasn’t an option and that Kodlak was right. She lifted herself up off the bed and made her way to the bedroom doors; were they still locked? She pushed on the doors and they gently opened into Kodlak’s study where she found the old man writing at his desk.

“Glad to see you awake child; we have much to discuss. That is if you want to discuss them?”

She walked over to the elder and simply hugged him; he patted her arms that were draped around his shoulders. She felt so at ease after her dream that she felt confident that with her new family behind her she could try and conquer her Dragonborn destiny.

“I’m sure I scared the hell out of Vilkas didn’t I?”

“That’s an understatement lass; boy’s been worried sick ever since we locked you in there. I think he’s in his room right now though; I suggest you go and talk to him.”

“Alright; oh and Kodlak?”

“Yes?”

“You know right? About….”

“I had a hunch child; we will not treat you any differently Leilani. But know that we will support you in your decision.”

“Thank you Kodlak.”

“Of course Leilani.”

She excused herself and made her way to Vilkas’s room; the door was closed so she gently knocked on the aged wood.

“I don’t wish to be disturbed….”

He sounded so dejected; was it because of the way she acted? Ugh; why do I end up causing pain for the people I care about. She knocked once more and she heard a very unsatisfied tut from the other side of the door.

“I said-”

He saw Leilani standing before him with a weak smile on her lips; she seemed better than before but she still looked tired.

“If you’re really that busy Vilkas; I can always come back later…”

He didn’t speak he just wrapped her in his arms and pulled her into his room; he shut the door behind them and just held her there in the center of the room. She loved the way she felt in his arms; so safe and strong. She allowed herself to sink further into his chest as she inhaled his scent; why would I ever leave when I have Vilkas? She pulled away from the hug only long enough to place her lips on Vilkas’s in a heated kiss; if she couldn’t convey the way she felt in words then she would gladly show him through her touch. She ran her hands through his hair and down his chest feeling each muscle that was beneath his simple tunic and breeches. His arms circled her waist and pulled her closer to his body; she was still wearing her leather armour and he decided that it had to go. His hands got to work undoing the clasps that held the cuirass to her body; soon he was able to pull it over her head breaking their heated kiss. After the armour had been discarded to the side he captured her lips once more in a passionate kiss.

“V-vilkas…”

“Hmmm…”

“I-i want....you…”

He broke the kiss and looked into her emerald pools; each one clouded in lust he smiled and gently sat her down on the edge of his bed as he went and locked the door. He then made his way back to the breton and removed her boots slowly one by one; then he unlaced her gauntlets and threw them on top of her leather cuirass. She was now in her simple cotton underclothes that she wore under her armour; he towered over her as he ran his fingers through her disheveled hair. She truly was beautiful..

“Are you sure you want this lass?”

“Y-yes; I wouldn’t want to be with anybody else…”

That’s all it took for Vilkas to capture her lips and push her onto her back; his toned body caging her underneath him as their makeout session quickly escalated. Leilani’s hands explored Vilkas’s body with soft feather like touches; her fingers dancing along his clothed skin as goose bumps covered his exposed flesh. Vilkas’s hands busied themselves with her hair as he raked his hands through her raven locks; soon he lowered his hands down her neck and torso till he snaked a hand under her tunic. The soft flesh of her stomach rising and falling with every breath sent his beast blood a blaze; his shaft twitched to life between his legs as Leilani let a small moan escape her lips. He let his hand travel farther up into her tunic until he felt the slope of her breasts under her breast band; he growled in frustration at the amount of clothes this woman had on. Leilani’s hands had also found their way under Vilkas’s tunic and felt the hardness of his abs; the outline of every muscle slightly twitching under her touch.

“Hmm…..”

Leilani moaned in pleasure as Vilkas sucked on her neck; she had grabbed the bottom of his tunic and was trying to get it over his head. Vilkas chuckled and removed his tunic and tossed it aside; he made quick work of her undershirt as well and it soon joined his on the floor. His hands explored each one of her breasts thoroughly; massaging and pulling as he pleased. One of his hands found its way around her and slowly unwound her breast band; the slow pace had both of them panting and wanting more. Soon her chest was exposed to him and he took pleasure in admiring her form writhing underneath him; she blushed at his intense stare as she wrapped her hands around his neck and brought his head down to her chest. His tongue began to play with her nipples biting and sucking gently; he knew this was her first time and he wanted to make it special. His hand found its way into her breeches and she gasped when he came into contact with her wetness; he felt his erection spring to life as he felt how wet she had become from just a little foreplay.

“Already so wet lass…”

He gently rubbed circles around her clit and enjoyed watching her squirm at the sensation; she was literally putty in his hands at that point. Her lust filled eyes glanced at her nord lover with such primal passion it nearly caught the nord off guard; her hands gently worked their way down his torso and into the tops of his breeches. Her hand gently ran over his now prominent erection and she internally gasped at the size; she was small and what she held in her hand was the exact opposite.

“Ahhhh!”

She had forgotten about Vilkas’s hand in her pants and moaned when two of his fingers entered her core; his fingers settled into a rhythm as she grinded against his hand. She tried to stroke his shaft but her mind was to preoccupied with her lover’s hand tormenting her insides. She felt something starting to form in her stomach, a bundle of nerves seemed to be building there her breathing escalated but right when she felt her release creeping up his retracted his hand. She tried to whimper in protest only to receive a coy smile from her nord lover.

“So impatient…”

“Vilkaaassss……”

He smirked and hooked his thumbs into the band of her breeches carefully working them down her legs until they became forgotten on the floor; he then discarded the rest of his clothing as well until they were both fully naked. He took a moment to enjoy the view of the woman who had come undone below him; her flushed face and rapid breathing gave him pleasure. To know that he had done that to her; that he was responsible for this stubborn yet strong woman becoming undone. He leaned in and kissed each cheek and eyelid; her nose and then finally her lips before looking into the eyes that he had grown to miss.

“Ready?”

She only nodded as she wrapped her arms securely around his neck. He put one hand on the furs to stabilize his position before slowly guiding his shaft into her dripping core; she was so tight that it caused Vilkas to hiss at the feeling of entering his partner. She groaned as he stretched her insides to fit his length; after a few moments he was completely buried inside her. He took a second for her to get used to his shaft and then he set a gentle pace as he started pumping his hips. Soon Leilani didn’t feel anymore pain and she was enjoying her encounter; her head was thrown back in ecstasy as his thrusts became faster and harder.

“V-vilkas….I think...i-i’m gonna…”

“Cum for me Leilani; now…..”

She screamed his name as her release washed over her in waves; her body quaked which caused her core to constrict and squeeze which sent Vilkas over the edge shortly after. He emptied his load inside her and both relaxed against the furs. Vilkas pulled out moments later when they had both regained energy; he pulled an old cloth from his desk and cleaned himself off as Leilani laid there breathless in bed. He grabbed the furs and wrapped them around the small breton; he slipped his breeches back on and reclined on the bed next to her. She cuddled into his side and he let his arm fall around her shoulder as they both drifted off to sleep; no nightmares were had that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked the chapter! Now comes the fun part of Leilani revealing her past and coming to terms with her demons.


	13. Figuring it Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani finally tells Vilkas her dark past and why she's afraid of becoming Dragonborn. Aela and Skjor have their own plans for the breton while shes weak.

Leilani’s mind was all fuzzy when she opened her eyes the next morning; her body ached and she didn’t feel like getting out of bed. Then the events of last night came flooding back to her; her eyes shot open and she looked next to her to see Vilkas peacefully sleeping. I can’t believe we did that; she smiled at the memory of how he kissed her and how their bodies fit together so perfectly. A throbbing pain was occupying her lower body and every time she shifted her hips she winced in pain; last night was perfect but she didn’t realize how awful she would feel the morning after. She stretched as best she could and sat up in bed; she made sure the furs were covering her body before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed frame and cracking her neck.

“Ugh; well this is a new feeling…..”

She found her clothes mixed in with Vilkas’s in the corner of the room; she didn’t bother trying to rewrap her breast band and just decided to through on Vilkas’s tunic. She slowly made her way to the door and peeked into the hallway; she noticed a tray on the floor and saw that breakfast had been placed upon it. Enough venison stew and bread for two people; as well as two sweet rolls perfectly placed on the tray. She picked it up and closed the door once more once she had set the tray on Vilkas’s desk; she picked up a sweet roll and made her way back to the bed. She leaned over Vilkas’s sleeping face and gently waved the delectable pastry sending the sweet smell up and into his nose; the smell caused him to stir a little and eventually open his eyes a bit. He grinned when he saw Leilani wearing his tunic with her hair all messed up from their escapades last night; the he took notice of the sweet roll she was holding in front of him and sat up in bed.

“Did you get breakfast?”

“No; it was outside the door when I went to check if anyone was down here.”

“Ah; well maybe its a gift.”

“Why would someone give you a gift?”

“Well considering how we weren’t exactly quiet last night the others may think this confirms our relationship; so it’s like they’re saying ‘congratulations’.”

She blushed at the thought of someone other than Vilkas hearing her moans last night; she had been so caught up in the moment that her brain didn’t even register the fact that others may have been listening.

“Oh gods…….”

Vilkas happily took a bite of his sweet roll as she ran her fingers through her raven hair; gently detangling it as she did so. She looked so beautiful the morning after; he could get used to this.

“Well teacher; what happened to taking things slow huh?”

He almost choked on his sweet roll; he cleared his throat and looked into her playful eyes. Ah; clever girl.

“Hard to deny a beautiful woman who throws herself at me; hardly call myself a man if I refuse that offer. Besides; you said you were a quick learner remember?”

He had used her own words against her and she giggled; her eyes running over his well defined muscles. His torso was covered in small scars; he was a little hairy but not enough to actually bother her. Then her eyes ventured lower to his midsection where his well sculpted abs moved gently with each breath he took; a small trail of hair starting just around his navel and descending into his breeches.

“Leilani; my eyes are up here lass.”

Her eyes snapped back up to meet his a slow blush decorating her cheeks; she had been caught staring but he didn’t mind her eyes. Leilani picked up the other sweet roll and began to nibble on it as she recalled the events of the day before. She had found out she was part of an ancient nord legend that allowed her to shout like dragons do; and due to the state of her nerves she almost fled the city because she couldn’t handle the pressure. Kodlak told her that everyone was here for her and that they would still treat her the way they had before but her heart wasn’t convinced. Vilkas saw the color in her eyes fade as he finished off his sweet roll; he peered into her face and gently grabbed her cheek to turn her face towards him.

“Do you wanna talk?”

“I don’t know where to begin. So much has happened and with what happened yesterday it all seems like so much.”

“Well; start from the beginning then.”

“The beginning? Hmph; that’s a hard story to tell. But maybe telling someone will finally help me heal from it.”

“What happened to you lass?”

She sighed and pushed her hair out of her face; she got up and snatched two bottles of mead from Vilkas’s desk before bringing them back to the bed and handing him one. They each uncorked their bottles and took a drink; it was time to come clean about her past.

“Well; I guess it all started when I was a child in High Rock. I think it was in my tenth winter when all the problems began; you see I come from a very highly thought of family. We aren’t quite nobles but we sure played the part; always attending parties and dining with the important people my father had worked for. We lived very privileged lives and I was happy; but I hadn’t known about what my father had in store for me.”

Vilkas saw so many emotions cross Leilani’s features; he saw joy and sadness as well as remorse and guilt. She looked into his eyes and smiled weakly; so much to explain and not the right words to convey it.

“I had a brother; but you already knew that. Kalcifer”

“Had?”

“Had. He died when I was sixteen and it was my fault. We were so close; we did everything together. He was only three years younger than I but it was like we were twins; father took us hunting and fishing and we always had the best time. But when I came of legal marriage age, which is fifteen in High Rock, that changed; father started forcing me to attend more etiquette classes and go to parties where I could meet potential suitors. My mother was always with me when I was learning she insisted on being a part of my education; she was the one who taught me about restoration magic. Kalcifer was only thirteen; he had so much potential with destruction magic. He made father proud; in fact father had often talked about sending him here to attend the college in Winterhold. I however; was told that magic was a waste of my time. Although that didn’t stop mother from teaching me what she knew; then one day some High Elves came to our home. Father had said that they were people he worked for and that we should show them the utmost respect; so that’s what we did. We warmly welcomed them into our home and talked; they turned out to be part of the fucking Thalmor.”

“The Thalmor? Your father worked for them?”

“I guess; but that wasn’t the real reason they were at our house. There were three of them; I don’t remember their names but they were a family. The father and mother and then a son; he was older than me and quite intelligent if my memory serves me well. But he was extremely entitled as most high elves are; I quickly realized that father had chosen a husband for me.”

“Is that a tradition in High Rock?”

“What forced betrothal? No it's not; although father often said he never trusted my judgement. So he picked someone for me; but that elf was terrible.”

“How long did you court him for?”

“Until I killed him….”

Vilkas stared at her wide eyed as she stared at the wall; she’d killed someone before and at such a young age. She recalled the scene perfectly in her mind; she had no regrets about what she had done and if given the chance she would do it all over again.

“Why did you kill him?”

“We were at a party without our parents; it was known that we had been courting for about a year and it seemed fitting to be attending parties with out supervisors. After the party we were walking through his family’s garden; they had a house in our city for when they had business in High Rock. He pinned me to a pillar and basically forced himself on me; he started to grope at my body and it felt so wrong. Every fiber of my being was screaming for me to get away but in my mind all I could hear was my father’s voice. 'Don’t cause trouble for the family'; so I let the elf shove his tongue down my throat and feel me up.”

“Leilani…”

“Oh it gets better; after a few more months he tried to go further. It was actually around the time I turned sixteen; we were alone in my home because my father and mother had taken Kalcifer to buy some spell books. Again he forced himself on me and this time I wasn’t having it; I wasn’t ready for that and I told him. He called me an ungrateful wench and that I should be honored a person of his status even wanted to be with someone like me. I stood there void of emotion; he tried again when I hadn’t responded to his accusations. That’s when my dagger found its home in his heart; I watched him bleed out.”

“Lass…”

“I could have saved him, you know? My mother had taught me all the restoration needed to save him. Too bad I had no intention of letting him live to torment another girl after he tossed me aside. Unfortunately when my family came back my father thought just the opposite; he saw the elf’s blood on my hands and beat me. Not that I blame him; I deserve so much more because of what happened to my brother because of my actions.”

“How did this affect your brother? He wasn’t even home…”

“The elf’s parents turned out to be very high ranking officials with the Thalmor; I was taken for interrogation purposes. Originally my brother was left alone; they didn’t take anyone else just me. I was kept in a dungeon for months; barely any food and only threads for clothing. Then one day during my torture session the Justiciar said he had a surprise for me; I laughed at the thought of a surprise in the situation. When I saw my brother being brought in out of the corner of my eye my heart broke; I begged them to release him I told them that I would confess to whatever they wanted to convict me for. It didn’t stop those assholes from beating my brother senseless before slitting his throat right in front of me. I watched my brother’s life fade from his eyes; my hands were bound and I couldn’t heal him……”

Tears started to roll down her cheeks as she remembered her little brother’s death once more; his whole future gone in a second due to her mistakes. She tried to contain her tears but failed miserably; she wiped her eyes and took another swig of mead.

“I pretty much gave up after that; each time they beat me I didn’t feel it. I didn’t eat when they gave me food; they force fed me in order to keep me alive. When they finally decided I had seen the error of my ways I was tossed out of their wretched jail and into the wilds. I was almost naked and complete skin and bones; it was a wonder no one thought of me as a draugr by that point. I found my way home but my father was gone; mother welcomed me into the house and healed a majority of the wounds I had sustained.”

“But you don’t have any scars lass…”

“My mother was quite the healer; her magic was so powerful at one point I swore she could stop the aging process if she had the mind to. She knew that Kalcifer was dead but she said nothing to me; father had left shortly after Kalcifer was taken. Mother suspected he left to die in the wilds; better to die at the hands of a wild beast than give the Thalmor another victim. Mother was the only one they couldn’t touch; she was protected by law. She was the main healer for the royal family in Cyrodiil when she was younger; being in the service of the Emperor served her well I guess.”

“Gods….”

“We never got Kalcifer’s body; we had a shrine made in his honor. I have to live with my brother’s death; I caused it due to my shortcomings. I had a simple role to play; I could have easily let him take me and maybe Kalcifer would be studying at the college right now….”

“Leilani; you defended yourself. There is no shame in that; i’m sure your brother didn’t blame you for his death. He wouldn’t want you blaming yourself for it….”

“Maybe you’re right but i’ll never know. Anyways I left home a few months later when I turned seventeen; I didn’t want mother to face the same fate as Kalcifer. She let me leave; she gave me her old armour and my father’s ax and watched me leave. We kept in touch over the years; her letters seemed normal but I could tell she was lonely after I left. It was selfish of me to run away from home to try and escape from my guilt; it doesn’t work like that. I tried my hand at multiple jobs until I became a sell sword; I earned decent coin and was able to survive. I stole,cheated, and lied to get what I wanted.”

“Then you were ambushed….”

“Yup; those damn Imperials got me when I was trying to go home. I was trying to get to Cyrodiil to find passage home but they got me first. They stripped me of my armour and replaced it with a plain tunic and pants. All the coin I had earned and my mother’s armour along with father’s ax was ripped away from me. To top it all off the Thalmor were at Helgen as well; it was like fate was mocking me at that point. The rest you know; and now i’m here slightly worse for wear apparently…”

Vilkas pulled Leilani into a hug to try and comfort her but her eyes were void of emotion after telling her story. Her arms hung limply at her side as she remained unresponsive to Vilkas’s attempt at affection. The nord leaned back and brushed away hair that had fallen in her face; his eyes seeking hers through the tears that streamed down her cheeks. He still had one question.

“Lass; why did you panic when you found out you were the Dragonborn? You were trying to run out of the city without any provisions or potions; why did you suddenly want to run?”

“Because what if I can’t fulfill this role either? What if I fail and then everyone in Skyrim or worse; everyone on Nirn suffers from my mistakes? What if I fail and the dragon’s kill us all?”

“Leilani; these are all what if questions. You won’t know until you try, you control your fate lass. I will be by your side no matter what; we will face this together Leilani.”

That brought her comfort; she knew that Vilkas would support her and guide her if she was lost. But something was still nagging her in the back of her mind. Her father’s voice still telling her that she was useless and that she was unworthy of life itself. A gentle kiss was pressed to her forehead and her attention was returned to the raven haired nord in front of her; she cupped his cheek with her hand and he leant into her touch.

“We should probably go upstairs Vilkas; don’t want the gossip to start right?”

“Hmph; let them talk lass. We have each other to look after; nothing could stop us. Besides; I think kodlak already let everyone know that we spent the night together. That old man is anything but subtle; at least from my experience.”

She laughed and then stood up from the bed; she picked up her breast band and removed Vilkas’s tunic; she tightly wound the cloth around her body and then tied it at her side. She then found her breeches and slipped them on as well; her armour was an afterthought as she glanced at Vilkas to find him staring at her.

“What?”

“Nothing whelp; just admiring the view.”

“Ugh; get dressed asshole.”

He laughed and grabbed the tunic that she had thrown aside; he inhaled her scent as he slipped it over his head. He grabbed his armour and slide it on over his under clothes and then sat on the edge of his bed to buckle his boots. Leilani had dressed in her armour as well and was busy fastening her gauntlets securely to her wrists; after both had finished dressing Leilani grabbed their breakfast tray and carried it outside as they made their way to the dining hall. As soon as Aela saw the couple emerge from the lower level she nudged Skjor with her elbow and nodded in their direction.

“You think she’ll join us?”

“If her mental state is as weak as Kodlak said it was manipulation shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Well then seems like we have a new member of the Circle to initiate.”

“Welcome to the pack sister.”

The two circle members smirked at each other and started discussing how to get Leilani away from Vilkas long enough to convince her to take the blood and perform the ceremony. If they had the dragonborn among their ranks they were going to make the breton one of Hircine’s hunters. The daedric prince was sure to find favour in them when the dragonborn joined their pack; what could go wrong?


	14. A Gift or A Curse?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aela and Skjor take advantage of Leilani's weak mental state and give her a choice.

Vilkas and Leilani were the center of attention when they reached the training yard; everyone was watching them and Leilani instantly felt self-conscious. She looked around the yard and saw Farkas glaring at his brother; well that’s not good. Vilkas noticed his brother’s angry look as well and eyed him warily; everyone else was just staring blankly and he didn’t like it.

“Vilkas; i’m going to go see Eorlund about improving my axes.”

“Alright; i’ll try and calm things down here while you’re gone.”

She nodded and quickly made herself scarce; she jogged past Farkas on her way to the Skyforge and could easily tell that he was pissed. Why is Farkas so upset? It couldn’t be because of what Vilkas and I did could it? No; he didn’t like me like that. She reached the Skyforge and saw Eorlund hammering away on his latest creation.

“Hey Eorlund!”

The old blacksmith turned around and smiled at the sight of the young breton; she always brought joy everywhere she went and the forge was no exception.

“Hello lass; what can I do for you today?”

“Well the Jarl gave me this steel ax to match my other one and I was wondering if there was anyway to improve them as a set.”

“Let me see them.”

She produced her weapons and the blacksmith regarded them carefully; he examined each one and finally came to a decision.

“Well I can improve them lass but i’ll need some steel ingots and high quality leather strips. And I couldn’t help but notice that your armour is torn in some places as well; if you bring me some leather I could make it as good as new.”

“How much would all this cost me?”

“Well I do have all the materials here; how about two hundred gold?”

“That’s actually not that bad for everything; alright you have a deal.”

“Gods be praised; i’ll start working on the blades right away. You can go change into some other clothing and return the armour to me after.”

“Okay; thanks Eorlund you’re the best!”

“Anytime lass.”

She left her axes with Eorlund and made her way back to Jorrvaskr; what should I change into? I have a couple dresses but they’re ripped in some places; although I do have a needle and thread in my chest down in the bedroom. She heard a commotion coming from the training yard and quickened her pace to see what the fuss was about. She saw the twins standing inside of a circle formed by the rest of the Companions; what was going on? She tapped Athis on the shoulder and the dunmer turned to face her.

“What is going on Athis?”

“Seems you caused quite the family feud Leilani; the brother’s are at each other’s throats.”

“What?”

“Yeah; after you left Vilkas told us to start training and most of us listened and started to practice. But Farkas kept giving him the side eye. Vilkas tried to talk to him but Farkas wouldn’t listen; we can only assume that this whole situation is due to the fact that you and Vilkas shared his bed last night.”

“Oh no; this is all my fault?”

“I don’t see any other reason for the two of them to be fighting like this; hell I haven’t even seen Farkas mad before.”

She broke eye contact with the elf to focus on the center of the circle; the brothers were rotating around each other each with a fire blazing in their eyes. Was this really my fault…. She pushed her way towards the center only to be stopped by Kodlak putting a hand on her shoulder. She raised an eyebrow at the Harbinger but he just shook his head and held her in place. Then the harbinger’s voice rang out over the company.

“Enough! This is not how honorable warriors act; you are acting like children and I will not have it disrupting valuable training time. Vilkas and Farkas I will speak with you in my study; Leilani you will come as well. The rest of you will listen to Skjor and Aela for training today.”

The crowd dispersed and the twins finally backed off one another; Leilani hung her head in shame as she followed Kodlak back into the hall. The twins followed behind her each still boiling mad at the other for what had happened. When the group reached Kodlak’s quarters they each found a chair to occupy as the old man locked the doors behind them. He looked back and forth between the twins with disappointment in his gaze; then he exhaled and took a seat himself.

“Will one of you explained what that whole fight was about?”

No one talked; the boy’s were being stubborn as usual and didn’t feel like talking it out like the old man usually made them do. Kodlak tried to wait for an answer but when he received no word from either twin he felt his annoyance rise to the surface.

“I want an answer from one of you; if not then I swear there will be consequences. You are all respected members of this company and I expect you to act like it! Fighting where everyone can see you is disgraceful; we are suppose to set an example for the rest of the recruits as well as the civilians. Now I will ask once more; what were you two fighting about. Although I have a pretty good guess…”

His eyes darted to Leilani who seemed like she’d rather be anywhere but where she currently was; poor girl. Vilkas finally made eye contact with Kodlak and tried to explain himself.

“Well; when Leilani and I went into the yard everyone was staring at us and I could tell it as making her uncomfortable. So I tried to tell everyone to go back to training but my hard headed twin over there decided to have a go at me instead-”

“Don’t start something you can’t finish Vilk. We both know I can beat you in hand to hand combat; not that I mind if you wanna try and take me on.”

The boys were glaring at each other once more and Kodlak just shook his head in frustration; he looked over the boys and knew what had to be said. But the lass was the one that needed to settle this dispute; she was the reason for it after all.

“Why don’t you boys tell the lass what the fight was about; if you don’t i’m pretty sure the rest of the recruits here will.”

Farkas’s eyes met with Leilani’s for a second before his gaze softened and he let out a breath of his own.

“I was angry that she chose Vilkas over me; I don’t understand her choice. I’ve been by her side since day one; I was always nice to her and even offered my advice when she asked for it. All Vilkas ever did was make fun of her and make her cry; I carried her to the temple when she was at death’s door after the accident with the poison. She should have chose me!”

Kodlak stared at Farkas and was proud of the boy for finally showing some emotion; then he saw Leilani’s eyes grow wider with every word she processed from Farkas’s explanation. Vilkas’s glare towards his brother had softened a little but not enough for forgiveness quite yet. Kodlak’s eyes fell on the lass when she dropped her head into her hands.

“Do you have anything to say lass? Questions?”

“I….. I’m so sorry Farkas. I had no idea you felt this way; after what happened last night I understand if you don’t want to be around me anymore.”

Farkas saw so much sadness in her eyes that he couldn’t force himself to be mad a Vilkas now if he tried; he caused Leilani pain and he didn’t like how that made him feel.

“Leilani it’s not your fault; you couldn’t have known about my feelings. I should have told you how I felt before; I was just angry I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

Vilkas had remained quiet throughout their conversation and was just observing their body language and how they interacted with one another. As far as his beast spirit was concerned Leilani was now his mate and he would kill anyone that tried to take her away from him. His mind however knew that his brother meant no harm; he just liked her is all and he couldn’t blame him. Leilani looked so defeated again that Vilkas didn’t know how to help; no one did she had totally zoned out and didn't want listen to anyone anymore. Kodlak felt bad for dragging her into this but it was about her so he figured that she should know about it.

“Kodlak?”

“Yes; lass?”

“Can I leave; I want to be alone right now….. Please….”

Kodlak allowed her to leave but only to go to the yard to train with the others while he continued talking with the twins. She got up and unlocked the doors; she left the room and the doors slowly closed behind her. When Skjor and Aela saw her enter the yard they decided this was their chance to talk to her while she was alone; it was time to give her the gift.

“Sister!”

“Oh; hey Aela. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing; Skjor and I just wanted to talk with you about something important.”

“Uh oh; I think i’ve has enough of talking to last me a lifetime at this point. If it’s about Vilkas and I please don’t talk.”

“It’s nothing like that sister; we could care less about who you share your bed with. We just want to give you an opportunity to make you stronger; a gift of sorts.”

“What is it?”

“Well if you’ll meet us in the underforge tonight we will show you; but you can’t have anyone follow you.”

“The Underforge? What’s that?”

“It’s a room under the Skyforge; after all the forge is as old as Skyrim itself and it contains certain magic that can only be unlocked in the moonlight.”

“Oh; well okay I guess. I’ll meet you guys there after the evening meal.”

“Actually we want to give it to you while everyone else is busy eating that way the chances of anyone coming with you are slim.”

“Alright; i’ll see you guys later then…..”

Then Leilani remembered what she had to do for Eorlund before she got distracted; she quickly rushed down to her bed and undressed. She had chose the simple dress Gerdur had given her all those months ago and scooped up her armour before bolting out of her room and up into the dining area. She finally made it back to the forge and handed Eorlund her armour for repairs. She decided that since she didn’t have armour or axes to train with that she would spend the day in the market instead. She had things to sell in her pack and she wanted to get some extra coin stashed away for her house fund. After spending the entire day in the market buying and selling her various items she made her way back to Jorrvaskr just in time to see Aela and Skjor heading towards the entrance to the Underforge. She jogged up the steps and quickly fell into step beside them; she smiled at Aela whose golden eyes flashed with excitement at the sight of the breton.

“Are you ready sister?”

“I guess; I don’t really know what you two have in store for me but i’m eager to see what it is.”

“Good.”

They reached the entrance to the Underforge and Skjor stopped Leilani from following Aela into the chamber; he explained how they had to wait a couple moments for Aela to get ready before following her. Soon after the two companions went in after their sister; When Leilani’s eyes adjusted to the dark lighting in the cavern she was awestruck of the beast standing at the far end of the room.

“I hope you recognize Aela; even in this form.”

“That’s Aela? Um; why is she in her beast form?”

“Some say this blood is a curse; we think of it as a gift. We are faster and stronger than the others because we embrace Hircine’s gift; being moonborn is not as bad as the others think. We want to give you this gift Leilani; to become stronger and become part of the Circle.”

“What if I don’t want to become a werewolf?”

“Then that is your choice; but then you will never truly be one of the highest ranked companions. You’ll be weak and weakness does not fair well in these trying times. So what say you Leilani? Will you join us in the hunt?”

Her mind was racing; could she really become a werewolf? She had heard the stories of men turning into wild animals to hunt under the full moon but she never fully believed them until she saw Farkas. She could be stronger and finally be taken seriously as a member of the Circle; but Kodlak and Vilkas had spoke about the blood as a curse. Should she really go against the Harbinger’s words and risk the price of being at the call of a daedric prince? Skjor sensed her hesitation and tried to find the words to convince her; then he had an idea.

“I understand if you don’t want the blood; I shouldn’t have expected a child to understand the power they could possess.”

“What?”

“You’re too young for this right; maybe when you’re older and know more about the world and how this gift can help you survive in it.”

“I’m not a child Skjor.”

“Oh but you are; still so young and pure. Although Vilkas might debate the pure part; after all you two know each other quite well now don’t you.”

“Stop.”

“Why would you need to become stronger when you have a man like Vilkas protecting you all the time; that’s all your good for isn’t it? Being protected.”

“I’ll accept the damn blood and show you who’s a child! I want to be stronger! I’ll show you what I can do asshole!”

Skjor scoffed at the girl when his plan had worked perfectly; he walked over to Aela and sliced her palm open spilling her beast blood into the large basin in the center of the chamber. When the bowl was filled he dropped Aela’s fur covered arm and beckoned Leilani closer.

“Drink; and you will know the power of Hircine.”

Leilani eagerly scooped up some blood and drank it down; she felt her mind begin to shift as thoughts of the hunt flooded into her. She felt her bones begin to creak and grow as her arms and legs stretched further than she had thought possible. She howled in pain as her flesh ripped and tore away from her body and was replaced by patches of itchy fur; her breathing became labored as she struggled to stay conscious as she transformed. The amount of blood she was losing set Skjor on edge; he hadn’t seen a transformation this tough since Farkas took the oath. Leilani’s newly awakened dragonblood despised the thought of this wolfblood sharing her body and it caused her blood to burn within her veins as her body tried to reject it. Her vision blurred as her transformation neared completion; she willed herself to stay awake and become stronger. Soon her small breton body was replaced by that of a large apex predator; she was finally a werewolf. She let a howl easily flow from her body as she stood before her shield siblings in her new found glory. Skjor smiled and transformed as well to join his sister’s in the hunt; he led them through the secret tunnel and out onto the plains of Skyrim. Time to hunt down those Silver Hand bastards that had tried to kill Farkas in Dustman’s Cairn; he led the small pack towards a fort north east of Whiterun where Leilani’s new thirst for blood could be quenched. Meanwhile back at the mead hall Kodlak was still conversing with the siblings when his wolf spirit felt a change among the pack; a new female had joined their ranks.

“Leilani…..”

Vilkas and Farkas looked to one another in confusion; Leilani was no longer present and had not been for hours. Why would the harbinger suddenly call out her name?

“Master? She isn’t here remember? You dismissed her.”

Kodlak turned towards the now calm twins with sad eyes; Vilkas tried to figure out what had upset the Harbinger but couldn’t.

“Someone has joined our pack…..”

Vilkas stared in disbelief; what werewolf would have gotten into the city without them noticing? Then reality hit him hard; his eyes widened and his hands raked through his hair.

“No…. She wouldn’t; she couldn’t….”

Kodlak’s eyes spoke the truth; Leilani had given herself over to Hircine while they were distracted. Although the old man was very certain that Skjor and Aela had taken advantage of the poor girl after everything that had happened over the last few days. Vilkas slipped out of his chair and fell onto his knees in horror as he tried to come to terms with Leilani’s transformation.

“Why would she do this? She doesn’t seem like the type to willingly hand her soul over to a daedric prince; let alone Hircine…”

“I believe that Skjor and Aela tricked the lass into accepting the beast blood. Leilani is vulnerable after everything she has experienced in the last couple of days that she wasn’t thinking clearly. Her mind was weak and they took advantage of that; they wanted her to give into them and take the curse upon herself.”

“Where would they take her? Where would they hunt?”

“Skjor was researching the Silver Hand and their possible hideouts; after what happened during Leilani’s trial he wanted to eliminate the closest group. My guess is that he found what he was looking for.”

Leilani was now trapped like they were; unable to be cured and forced into a life of servitude for the prince of the hunt. Vilkas’s wolf didn’t know the scent of Leilani’s wolf so he couldn’t track her correctly; but he swore that when Aela and Skjor returned he would rip their heads from their bodies. He prayed that Leilani would survive her first transformation and come back soon; but her new found blood lust was too much for her to resist.


	15. Mixed blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani is faced with inner turmoil as her blood and thoughts play against each other.

Leilani’s mind quickly spiraled out of control as her beast blood mingled with that of her dragon’s. Leilani felt her paws dig deep into the soil as she struggled to keep up with the small pack; her mental state was preventing her from giving into the beast completely. Her conscious was trying to find reason in her decision to take the form of the beast but couldn’t find any; the hesitation caused her body shift back to normal. Her legs that were once covered in fur and access muscle were now her pale appendages with red scrapes and splotches on them. Her vision switched from one clouded with thoughts of the hunt back to her normal human perception; and she was mentally and physically exhausted. She felt the cold crisp air on her skin and felt the freezing snow beneath her feet; she didn’t know where she was all she knew is that she was naked in the snow and about to lose consciousness. Her mind was getting foggy and her legs were beginning to fail her; she was lost, her memory and thoughts hazy what was she to do?

“S-s-s-so c-c-c-cold……”

Her knees finally gave out after a couple minutes of her wandering through the tundra; her lower legs now encased in snow drifts. She started to lose feeling in her toes and fingertips;until she finally fell face first into the snow. She turned onto her back to gaze up at the grey sky; specs of white danced in the wind as they fell ever downward. Such dreary colors swirled across her vision as she just laid there in the snow thinking about what she had put her body through. Why had she let Skjor get to her? Why did she give in so easily? She knew her defenses were down because of what had happened with the twins but she didn’t think that Skjor and Aela would do this to her. She felt tears form in the corners of her eyes and slowly fall down her cheek; she didn’t want to be a werewolf.

“What have I done?”

She had already accepted her death in the snow when she heard the crunch of snow to her right; maybe some animal had come to put her out of her misery. No such luck; she felt a hand on her shoulder and weakly turned her head to see an unfamiliar face. The stranger appeared to be a farmer judging by his clothing; she tried to give him a smile but her face muscles were too weak to listen. She felt arms encircle her body and lift her out of the snow; she felt the breeze whisk by her cheeks as the farmer rushed her to his dwelling. Her vision faded in and out of darkness as she felt warmth envelope her body; she opened her eyes slightly wider to view her surroundings. She was now in a house with a roaring fire at its center; she assumed she was somewhere safe and allowed sleep to take her. When dawn broke she opened her eyes and glanced about the small wooden house; she was occupying the only bed and assumed that whoever rescued her was outside. She lifted the furs off of her body to see that she was once again clothed in a roughskin tunic and breeches that were a few sizes too big.

“At least they had the kindness to dress me; but where am I?”

“A little southwest of Windhelm.”

She turned her head towards the door to see a young man standing there with arms full of firewood. She eyed him cautiously and pulled the furs tighter around her body as he shut the door behind him; he dumped the firewood next to the hearth and stirred the pot that was hanging over the fire. He filled a bowl with soup and then headed over to her bedside; he handed her the bowl and went back to the fire to fetch some for himself. She smelled the concoction in front of her and recognized the smell of freshly broiled venison and stewed carrots. She eagerly blew on her soup to cool it and sipped it gently; the taste overwhelmed her tongue as she sighed in contentment. The man across from her watched her eat with vigor as he peacefully filled his belly as well; she was quite energetic for someone who had nearly frozen to death out on the tundra. She quickly finished her soup and set the bowl on the bedside table; she turned to her rescuer once again and managed a smile.

“Thank you for saving me; and for the clothes and warm meal. You’ve done me a great service and I am in debt to you.”

“Nah; if I didn’t help a lady in distress I could hardly call myself a nord. But why were you naked in a snow drift? Did you escape from some bandits?”

“Yeah; something like that. I don’t really remember much other than being stuck in that blizzard. But you said we are southwest of Windhelm?”

“Yup; but I don’t think you’re in any condition to travel. You almost lost some of your fingers and toes to frostbite; if I hadn’t gotten to you when I did you might be missing some digits. Lucky you didn’t freeze to death out there; I had some resist cold potions and then I made sure you got a healing potion in ya. So I think you’re going to be okay; at least for now.”

“Thank you…”

“Fenrir.”

“Thank you Fenrir; do you live here by yourself?”

“Yup; just me and the snowberries. It’s a decent living and if you’re a hermit like me then this is a pretty good lifestyle.”

“Hermit?”

“I don’t really like people; but if someone needs my help then I help them. I’m no hero I just think we should help each other to survive in this harsh world.”

“That’s noble of you.”

“I’m just doing what I can; do you want more food?”

“No thanks; that first bowl filled me up. You’re a really good cook.”

“Thanks.”

He got up from his seat across the room and walked over to her bedside; he collected her dish and then brought them to a basin of water in the corner. He proceed to wash their plates and Leilani thought she should try and move; she swung her feet out from under the furs and put them on the cold stone floor. Her bones creaked at first sending a wave of pain through her body but it soon passed. She then stood up and stretched; her body sent more pain throughout her body but she ignored it. After walking around the room a little her body adjusted and stopped protesting her movement; she smiled at her recovery rate and thanked the nord once more for helping her out.

“Have you got any family to write to girl? You’ve obviously been through something terrible; do you need to go somewhere?”

“Uh; I have family in Whiterun. However; I don’t know if I can face them right now..”

“You on the run for something?”

“No; nothing like that. I just feel like I brought shame to them and that they will be mad at me for what I did…”

“Listen; from my experience with families, which is limited, they seem like very loving units. If your family won’t even listen and try to understand your choices maybe they don’t quite understand what you’re going through. Give them time and eventually things will return to normal.”

“Maybe; um was there anyone with me on the Tundra?”

“Not that I saw; I heard some howling in the distance but I just scooped you up and got you to safety. I went out after I gave you the potions to look for anyone else that might have been with you, but all I saw were huge wolf prints.”

“I see; well I don’t think any other _**people** _were with me anyway…”

“Hmm.”

Leilani sat back down on the bed and thought about what she should do; she couldn’t stay holed up in here with Fenrir. But she wouldn’t get far in only a rough skin tunic and breeches in this weather; she needed something sturdier. Unfortunately she had left her armour with Eorlund for improvements, so she was defenseless against the elements. Fenrir saw the hesitation and strife on her face and sighed; he walked over to his wardrobe and rifled through it for a few moments before producing a fur lined cuirass with a hood and a pair of thick snow boots and woolen gloves. He brought them over to her and then left the small house to allow her to change.

“He’s pretty nice for a stranger…”

She changed and then realized that these clothes were designed for a woman; maybe Fenrir had a wife or sister living with him before? She had no time to dwell on the subject before Fenrir entered the house once more; he examined her now clothed body and saw that the old clothing had fit her quite nicely. He nodded in approval before handing her a hunting bow and a quiver of arrows; he also slipped her a small coin purse which contained enough to buy her passage to Whiterun.

“It’s about two hours to Windhelm on foot; take this for protection and that coin should buy you a carriage to Whiterun. If it doesn’t tell the driver at the stables that Fenrir wants his favour and he’ll give you a ride.”

“I don’t know what to say; you’ve been very kind. You don’t even know me; I could’ve been an escaped convict or murderer…”

“Trust is hard to come by these days; but I think i’ve been around long enough to trust my intuition and help a girl helpless in the snow.”

She smiled and offered her hand to the man; he took it and they shared a handshake before she turned towards the door.

“So which way to the city?”

“There’s a road right out front; follow it east and then watch for the signs. I hope you work things out with your family; family can’t be replaced after all..”

“Right; i’ll write a letter to you when I get home. I’m sure my family will be grateful for the kindness you’ve shown me.”

Fenrir chuckled and threw a loaf of bread her way; she caught it and smiled.

“For the ride home young one. Be careful.”

“Yup.”

She headed through the door and into the bright sunlight; it was about ten in the morning and if Fenrir was right she would be in Windhelm by lunch. She had a lot of time to think of a way to explain her actions to Kodlak and Vilkas but she couldn’t find a viable reason. She was weak and the others took advantage of it; Vilkas had told her to never let down her guard, especially when your emotions were running high. He was one to talk he often let his emotions show with little regret for it; but she still allowed her mind to be manipulated and that made her angry. She had trusted Aela and Skjor and this is what happens? She didn’t even know where the two had gone and now she was on her own in this frozen hell.

“Why does this shit always happen to me?”

Then she heard the crunching of snow behind her; she quickly grabbed an arrow and spun around to aim at the potential threat. She came face to face with Aela who was now back to normal and wearing her armour like always; her arms were crossed over her chest and a smirk was on her lips. Leilani put the arrow back in her quiver and glared at her shield sister; she turned away from her and continued walking to Windhelm.

“Where are you going?”

“That doesn’t concern you.”

“Oh; but it does sister. You see we brought you out here-”

“Against my will! I didn’t want to be a werewolf Aela! You two took advantage of my emotional state and Skjor manipulated me into accepting this damn curse!”

“You seemed eager to accept it when he called your insecurities out; if you were that self conscious you shouldn’t be in the companions.”

“Shut the hell up! You act so high and mighty all the damn time and I’m sick of it! You act so superior because of the blood running through your veins but real warriors don’t need trickery or spells to fight their battles.”

“You sound like Vilkas.”

“Good! At least his intellect is starting to rub off on me; I used to depend on my spells instead of my sword arm but Vilkas showed me that I can be just as powerful without them.”

“The blood makes us stronger; it is a gift.”

“Maybe it is to you Aela; but I didn’t want this to happen. I was tired of people treating me like a child but this is not how I want to earn their respect. Fear and respect are two totally different things; don’t confuse them.”

“You’re overreacting; your transformation-”

“Hurt like hell and almost cost me my life; now i’m stuck like this until Kodlak finds a cure. **_IF_ **he finds one; you act all honorable but forcing someone to do something against their will is bloody evil! Now leave me alone!”

Leilani stomped off towards the large stone city in the distance but she still felt Aela’s presence behind her; stalking her like prey. She reached the stables and found the carriage driver eating lunch; she jogged up to him and asked for a ride to Whiterun.

“Twenty gold.”

“Here.”

The driver counted out his money and then nodded as he finished his lunch and made his way over to his horse. Leilani felt Aela’s hand on her shoulder once more; she turned towrads the woman with hatred in her eyes.

“Please Leilani; I need your help.”

“With what?”

“Skjor; we were originally headed to a Silver Hand hideout when we lost track of you in the blizzard. He continued on while I went to look for you; when I couldn’t find you I went to our rendezvous point but he never showed up…”

“The Silver Hand? So we were after Werewolf hunters?”

“Yes; please Leilani he may need our help.”

“Then he should’ve been nicer to me huh.”

“Leilani I beg you; I know we did something awful but we needed you for this mission and we thought that giving you the beast blood would make you see our side. We wanted you to help us track down the Silver Hand and exterminate them like the vermin they are.”

“Ugh; fine. But I don’t have any armour or decent weapons besides this bow; how are we supposed to clear out a hideout with out weapons or potions?”

“With our gifts.”

“Really!? After I told you how it hurts me?”

“It hurts all of us the first time; some take to it more than others though.”

“This wolfblood does not agree with that of my dragon’s; what if I almost die again? And after it’s all over and I survive i’ll be naked! This is so inefficient!”

“I was able to obtain some spare armour for you and I have it stashed near the hideout; after we’re finished you’ll be able to clothe yourself and then we can all go home.”

“Then I can just wear the armour instead of changing.”

“I didn’t bring any extra weapons sister; and that bow won’t do much damage.”

“Ugh; very well. But if I die just know that I will haunt you for the rest of your days!”

“Fair enough.”

Leilani growled and walked to the carriage driver she apologized and told him to keep her coin for the trouble. She then walked back to Aela and scowled; she shifted from foot to foot and took a deep breath.

“Which way to this damn hideout?”

“This way; we’ll transform when we near the entrance. Thank you for helping me Leilani.”

“Yeah well; i’m not about to have Skjor’s blood on my hands. And I know that you mean well even if you're a bitch sometimes.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Let’s just get this shit over with I want to go home even though i’m pretty sure Vilkas will kill me once I get there.”

“I think Vilkas is more likely to kill me for what we did to you; I don’t like it when the twins get mad. It gets pretty messy.”

“Then you should’ve thought this through a little bit more.”

“I know that now.”

“Little late don’t ya think?”

Aela rolled her eyes as they walked on in silence; it seemed like an hour had passed before Aela’s demeanor changed. Leilani could sense her unease as they neared the ruins of an old fort; Leilani put her hand on Aela’s shoulder which caused the red head to face her.

“We’ll find him; don’t worry if i know Skjor he’s probably fine.”

“I’m not so sure about that sister..”

“Why?”

“I smell his blood on the wind; those bastards. I’ll slaughter them all!”

“He might just be injured.”

“Even so; those cowards will know true fear when I rip their throats out!”

“Aela you need to remain calm; don’t let emotions get to you.”

“I know; well let’s transform we need time to fully change before going in. If you want to keep the clothes you’re wearing I suggest removing them.”

“UGH.”

They quickly stripped down and stored their clothing where Aela had hidden her backup armour. Leilani saw Aela shift into her beast form as skin was ripped from bone and replaced by fur and claws; when her sister’s transformation was complete Leilani prepared herself to change as well. She let her beast blood take a hold of her and she felt her bones pull and stretch as her vision blurred; fur covered her torn flesh. Soon two werewolves stood before the ruined fort with a thirst for blood rising in their throats; Leilani’s human conscious was able to formulate one thought before being lost entirely to Hircine’s will.

_**“Power is all consuming; but I will not give in.”** _


	16. Vengeful Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani and Aela lose a comrade and Leilani can't deal with the guilt resting on her shoulders.

The stench of blood and silver permeated the air as Aela and Leilani made their way through the Silver Hand hideout; claws dripping with the blood of the fallen. Their snouts tainted with blood as they feasted on enemy after enemy in order to maintain their monstrous forms; they they came across the last door in the lower chambers. The wolves eyed each other as Aela hooked her claws into the door handle and twisted; the door swung open to reveal a room full of Silver Hand bandits sitting at tanning racks. The beasts quickly entered the room and slashed through throat after throat of the bastards until their leader approached them menacingly. The girls snarled at him and circled him like hawks homing in on their potential prey; Aela had a lust for blood that was nearly quenched. Until she saw Skjor’s dead body lying in a pool of crimson; her yellow eyes quivered with unshed tears as she eyed his body motionless on the ground. The leader noticed Aela’s hesitation as he swung his silver sword at her; right when his back was facing Leilani she lept and sunk her teeth into his jugular. She increased her jaw pressure as the body became still; then she rose to face her shield sibling. Aela was lying by Skjor’s body; her tail wrapped gently around them as she rested her head against his chest. Leilani pawed her way towards them and lowered her head when she stood above her sister and their fallen comrade; they howled at the loss of such a soul and then something snapped inside of Aela as her yellow eyes met Leilani’s. After a few moments their bloods cooled and they took back their original forms; Leilani quickly grabbed some furs and covered herself and Aela did not move.

“Aela? Aren’t you cold?”

“No…..”

“I’m sorry about Skjor; we tried our-”

“I can’t believe the bastards killed Skjor; he shouldn’t have come without a shield sibling! But we are going to avenge him; we are going to slaughter the Silver Hand until none of them are left alive!”

Leilani was shocked by the amount of hate and anger dripping from her sisters teeth; it was almost like she was still standing before a wolf rather than it’s nord counterpart. Leilani draped a cloak over Aela’s shoulders as she tried to comfort her but the nord kept silent; they sat in that inner chamber for a long time just contemplating Skjor’s death and their next move.

“Aela; we need to get back to Jorrvaskr we’ve been gone for some time…”

“Alright…. Help me get his armour off the body.”

“What?”

“A piece of Skjor should be kept with the Companions; we can’t drag his body back to Whiterun so his armour is the next best thing. We’ll bury him outside and use stones to symbolize the grave stone; come on we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“We might want to go get out armour and weapons first; for protection.”

“Right…”

After running outside and fetching their things the women quickly changed and proceeded to strip Skjor of his armour and lay him to rest in a nearby grove of evergreen trees. Leilani was silent as she watched Aela put the last stone in place and stand tall; tears threatened to spill from the red head but she kept her emotions in check for now. Leilani gently rested her hand on Aela’s shoulder and bowed her head to pray for his soul as it ascended to Sovngarde; then they gathered his armour and the remainder of their belongings and began their trek back to Whiterun.

When Leilani finally saw the outline of the city on the horizon it was like she could breathe again; she had been gone for far to long in her opinion. A few days can really feel like forever when you find comfort in what you left behind; her smiled only lasted seconds as her thoughts bubbled forth. What about Vilkas? She had no doubt that Kodlak had already found out what had happened and told Vilkas and Farkas; hell the twins probably knew before the old man caught wind of it. Vilkas is going to be so mad; and things had just began to change! How could she explain herself? Oh Skjor made fun of me so I gave into him and took the blood? Talk about your childish decisions; if I can be that easily manipulated Kodlak might not trust my abilities anymore. Her eyes flickered to Aela as she watched her trudge silently towards the city; totally unaware if the crisis the breton was having.

“Aela; I need you to tell Kodlak what you and Skjor did to me. How you took advantage of me and my vulnerable state.”

“You aren’t a child Leilani; you could have walked away from us and not taken the gift. You are just as guilty as I.”

“What?! But-”

“Ugh divines preserve us! Look; you want people to stop treating you like a child right?! Well then own up to the mistakes you’ve made and act like one!”

“But you and Skjor took advantage of me! It’s not fair!”

“Life isn’t fair sister; Skjor’s deaths should’ve proved that.”

“That was his own fault! He charged into a place that he knew was crawling with danger and he didn’t care; there’s a difference here Aela!”

“Well it’s too late now; suck it up and move on. That’s what adult’s do.”

“Ugh!”

Leilani stomped off ahead of Aela and left the nord alone to walk in silence; Leilani knew that Aela had a point but she was too enraged to admit it. Her bloods continued to battle inside of her as she neared the walls of the city; her blood was boiling in her veins by the time she reached the gates and pushed her way through. Headaches were something that she had gotten used to, but this one felt different. She knew it probably had something to do with her blood’s mixing but she just uncorked a health potion and drained it; the pain dulled as she stumbled towards the market place. Her body was soon stopped when a small child wrapped her arms around the breton’s waist; Leilani smiled and hugged the little one back.

“Hello Mila; have you been good while I was gone?”

“Yup! I missed you Leilani where did you go this time?”

“Windhelm; it’s so cold there though. I don’t think i’ll be going back anytime soon.”

“Did you see the Jarl?”

“Ulfric? No I didn’t; although I wasn’t really in the city much.”

“Awww.”

“Where’s your mother?”

“She’s at the farm outside the walls getting more produce to sell; she left me in charge of the stall!”

“Wow; being a big girl huh?”

“Yup!”

Leilani smiled at the child and pat her head; she looked up towards the mead hall and felt a sinking feeling overtake her. She told Mila that she needed to go and report back to the Companions as she left the smiling girl to her duties; Leilani’s feet felt like steel ingots as she dragged herself up the steps and towards the Gildergreen. She ran a hand through her hair and felt tangle after tangle as she did so; she reached up and unwound her braid and gently shook her hair loose. Her raven locks fell around her shoulders and down her back; her wavy tresses grazing the top of her breeches. With her newly heightened senses she felt the smallest changes in her environment; the breeze felt cooler and her hearing was better than ever before. She could hear Eorlund up at the forge banging away on a piece of metal; she could smell the kitchens from the palace and the pastries that were contained within. She felt empowered by this obscene curse that had been laid upon her; was the world always this expressive? Her hair whipped around her body as the wind picked up; a familiar scent overcame her and her eyes shot open as she turned around.

“Vilkas….”

“Sensed my wolf did you?”

She heard the disappointment in his voice and a piece of her heart ached; she had let him down and she knew that. She let her gaze fall to the stone path beneath them as she prepared herself for the worst lecture she had ever received; only it didn’t come. She slowly raised her head back up till her eyes met his; she saw relief and worry flash across his features as his hand came to rest against her cheek. The warmth flowed into her as she leant into his touch; she felt tears escape her eyes as she felt her resolve chip away.

“I’m so sorry Vilkas; I never wanted this to happen.”

“I know; but now you have our blood in you and you’re stuck just like the rest of us.”

“I’m so sorry…”

Vilkas felt bad for the woman in front of him; she seemed so lost and helpless. He remembered how he felt the day he let the blood into his life. He had accepted the blood in order to become stronger and be able to protect the ones he cared about; but she had just been manipulated into becoming a beast. He had no doubt that she felt betrayed and scared; but he had sensed that she had transformed more than that one time. He felt that her wolf was now stronger and more resilient that the initial transformation; he looked her over and saw that the clothes she was wearing were not her own. He also smelt a male’s essence on her as his wolf tuned in to his surroundings; where had she gotten these clothes?

“Leilani; who were you with?”

“What do you mean? I was with Aela and Skjor.”

“That scent does not belong to them; it’s a different male. Where did you get those clothes?”

“Oh; well I almost died after my first transformation and I was lying in the snow when someone saved me. He found me naked on the tundra and he brought me back to his farm and gave me food and warmth as I recovered. Nothing happened Vilkas; he just made sure I was able to travel then sent me on my way.”

“Alright I trust you; but where are Aela and Skjor.”

Leilani’s heart sank as recalled Skjor’s body buried underneath the evergreen’s; she sighed and placed her hand over Vilkas’s as she gazed into his eyes.

“He died; the Silver Hand killed him before Aela and I could get there…”

“Skjor’s….dead?”

“Sadly; it was because I was being stubborn and didn’t want to transform a second time. I spent time we could’ve used to save him arguing with Aela about the blood. It’s my fault he’s gone; maybe he was right. I’m not meant to be a Companion if I can’t even save a shield sibling; i’m still a kid in some people’s eyes…”

“Leilani…”

“It’s all my fault..”

She finally let the tears flow from her eyes as she gave into her guilt; she had spent so much time trying to do the right thing and help people only to have someone else die because of her stubbornness. She just couldn’t shake her thoughts on the blood and Skjor died because of her hesitations; why couldn’t she just do what she was told? She backed away from Vilkas as she saw Aela climb the steps with Skjor’s armour hanging over her shoulders;Vilkas saw Skjor’s armour and his blood ran cold.

“Alea..”

“Don’t Vilkas; I need to talk to Kodlak and arrange a service for Skjor so we can remember him properly. Take care of the crying child; she obviously needs to have her hand held through this.”

“Aela! There is no need for you to belittle her! Skjor’s death was his own fault; he should have known better!”

“Hmph; well regardless she needs comfort. I need to talk to Kodlak; see you around..”

Aela pushed passed Vilkas knocking him back a few steps before climbing the steps up into Jorrvaskr; Leilani stood silent as she watch her sister disappear into the hall. Vilkas was still in shock over the news of Skjor but her focused his attention back on Leilani; he tried approaching her again but she retreated from his touch. He was a little hurt that she had moved away from him but he lowered his hand nonetheless; he didn’t know what to say or do to make her feel better so the two just remained in silence for a few moments.

“Kodlak wants to talk with you Leilani…”

“Right….”

“I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

She nodded as she slowly made her way into the hall and down towards Kodlak’s study; she passed Aela on the threshold of Kodlak’s door and the nord just brushed her aside as she made her way to her room. Leilani felt a new wave of guilt wash over her; she knew that Aela and Skjor were close. To what extent she didn’t know, but she did know that Aela spent most of her time talking to Skjor and discussing theories with him.

“Come and sit child; I need to talk with you.”

Leilani shut the oddr behind her and took a seat opposite the Harbinger; Kodlak looked her over and saw so many emotions cross her features. Pain, regret, shame, guilt, and so much more shown in the young breton’s eyes. His heart ached for the loss of Skjor but if he didn’t help the young one in front of him he thought that he might lose more than one shield sibling.

“I know you are troubled Leilani; talk to me.”

“Skjor’s death is my fault; his blood is on my hands because I didn’t listen to Aela. I argued with her over the beast blood; that time could have been spent trying to find him and actually saving him.”

“Leilani; Skjor knew what the path he chose to follow held. It is not your fault that he acted rashly; you were not ready for the blood yet it was given to you anyway. You felt betrayed and rightfully so; but I am surprised that you were able to be manipulated so easily. I thought you stronger than that; but there is no need for you to blame yourself for Skjor’s mistakes.”

“But if I had just transformed when Aela told me too we might have been able to save him…”

“That is not for certain; the Silver Hand are a fearsome bunch. They are organized and ruthless; they take care in their approach which makes them even more dangerous to us.”

Leilani saw no light in her personal darkness; she heard her elder’s voice but did not comprehend anything he was saying. In her mind she had let everyone in the Companions down and made a fool out of herself.

“Leilani…”

“Yes Harbinger?”

“Don’t give up on us lass.”

“What?”

“I can see the pain and suffering in your eyes pup; I know those feelings all too well. You are too young to worry yourself with such trials and tribulations; you must strive to be better as we all should. I am proud to count you among the Companions; you have a strong will and brave soul. You need to stay with us lass; I personally think you could help Aela through this difficult time.”

“Me?”

“Yes; you know what it feels like to lose a loved one and deal with the pain it causes. We will need that once we announce Skjor’s death to the rest of the recruits here; many looked up to him and admired his work.”

“We need to stick together in these times and come back all the stronger because of them; I promise that I will be here for you lass no matter what.”

“Kodlak…”

“You are loved Leilani; and right now this family needs you more than ever.”

She thought about his words and saw the meaning within them; she could do so much more here with the Companions. Mourn for now; but after the rain and clouds disappear she needs to be strong and help restore peace to the company. Aela would be her first target; she would help her in anyway she could in order to alleviate some of the sorrow from her sister.

“You’re right Kodlak; I am needed here. I promise to help Aela and everyone else in anyway I can; I won’t give up that easily.”

“That’s my girl; now Vilkas was very distraught when you vanished after your transformation. I’m sure some reassurance is in order and don’t worry about Farkas; the two sorted it out after you left and are content with your decisions.”

“That was quick; but i’m glad they aren’t fighting like children anymore.”

“You and me both; with all that has happened I need clear minds among the inner circle if we are to move on from Skjor’s death properly.”

“I understand Harbinger.”

“Good; now go find Vilkas.”

“I think I made him mad; I stepped out of his reach when he tried to comfort me.”

“Well; i’m sure he’ll understand.”

“What makes you so sure?”

Kodlak stood from his chair and walked over to the door and opened it wide; two figures had fallen forwards and were now lying on the ground. Leilani laughed at the twins and saw a blush creep onto Vilkas’s cheeks; Farkas was scratching his head and avoiding eye contact at all costs. She shook her head and helped them stand as Kodlak smiled and patted her on the shoulder. Finally she had a family who she could depend on; Skjor’s death had taken its toll but she knew that they would come back stronger. After all; family has to stick together in times like this…...right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry my posts haven't been consistent, but with full time classes and work it's hard to work on this piece! I appreciate the patience and hope you all continue to read and support my work. Any and all feedback is appreciated and I would love to hear from you lovely individuals and any thoughts you have on my story!


	17. Leilani's Special Assignment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani comes to terms with her beast blood and receives council from Kodlak about her recent actions regarding the Silver Hand and avenging Skjor's death.

A few weeks had passed since Skjor’s death and the Circle had almost returned to normal; Aela was still visibly pained from his death but she was still quite active in training sessions. Leilani had been added to the ranks of the Circle and had come to terms with her beast blood; she vowed not to transform ever again like the twins and Kodlak had. They all believed that the beast blood tarnished their true warrior spirit and giving into such transformations was not in line with the Companion’s code of honor. Vilkas and Leilani had gotten closer due to her new blood and he had been showing her how to block out the thoughts of the hunt; which was basically occupying her time with him instead. She wasn’t opposed to the idea of personal one on one time with her lover but her mind still managed to dig up thoughts of what if. What if she truly accepted the beast blood like Aela and used it to better herself? What if they were wrong and they actually needed the blood to succeed? Leilani knew the absurdity of it all; but part of her was still very curious about what she could be capable of if she used it to her advantage. She was sharpening her axes alone in the training yard one afternoon when she heard the doors open behind her; she glanced behind her and saw Vilkas coming towards her with two bowls in his hands.

“Thought you might be hungry.”

“Thanks; it smells better than usual. But then again everything has since; well you know.”

“Yeah; it still surprises me sometimes as well. The amount of things you had missed before the blood was introduced to your body; it's all quite stifling but you get used to it eventually.”

“Hopefully we’ll find a cure and I won’t have to get used to it; my body feels so unstable and I don’t think it's healthy.”

The two ate in silence and enjoyed the peace; she had taken on multiple jobs for the twins to try and occupy her. However; she had also taken on jobs for Aela but those were more of a sinister nature. Leilani had been infiltrating Silver Hand hideouts near Whiterun and clearing them out in order to satisfy Aela’s thirst for revenge. Leilani wasn’t proud of what she was doing for her sister but she still felt responsible for the loss of Skjor and knew she owed her something. She finished her food and set her bowl on the table beside her; she picked up her whetstone and continued to sharpen her weapons as Vilkas watched her.

“Why don’t you just pay Eorlund to sharpen your weapons?”

“My mother always used to say that doing something yourself leaves no room for error; like if you do it yourself and fail you can’t blame anyone but yourself. My brother and I used to sharpen our own hunting knives and make our own arrows back in High Rock; we used to compare our work while hunting. Whoever brought home more pelts and meat was the winner and the loser had to complete the other’s chores that day or week.”

“Sounds fun; how many times did you lose?”

“Wow; you automatically think I sucked? For your information smart ass I won more than my brother; he was terrible at skinning the animals and the quality of his pelts were terrible.”

“Ha; that’s my girl!”

She smiled and rolled her eyes as she inspected the quality of her work; her axes were noticeably sharper and to test them she grabbed an apple from the table and threw it into the air. She quickly slashed her ax upward and cleanly split the apple in two; Leilani nodded in approval and then cleaned the juice from her weapon before sheathing it at her side. She reached for her other ax that she received from the Jarl but it was no longer resting on the table; she saw that Vilkas was now holding it and twirling it about his body as he walked into the courtyard.

“Uh; what are you doing with my ax?”

“Just giving it a couple swings; it’s heavier than I thought it would be.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well love; you are rather petite. Although you are uncommonly strong and that’s without the blood; but still so small and cute.”

“Cute!? You really don’t know when to shut up do you?”

“It’s true; ask Farkas. Cute and deadly; a very terrifying combo if I do say so myself.”

She glared playfully at him before rising to her feet and sauntering her way towards her nord; she smiled seductively and trailed her fingers along his shoulder as she circled him. His eyes followed her slim frame as her scent enveloped him; her wolf essence made his blood boil and his inner beast growled in approval.

“So everyone thinks i’m deadly?”

“Probably; after all such fire comes in a very small package.”

“Small huh?”

She was behind him and gently wrapped her arms around his midsection; she pressed herself against his back and inhaled his scent. Then she quickly knocked his feet out from under him and her ax fell to the ground as he struggled to maintain his footing. She laughed and swiped her ax from its place on the ground and returned it to her table; Vilkas was left on his knees in the court yard as the woman placed her weapons on the table and walked over to him once more. They both were wearing simple town clothes instead of their armour because they had no jobs to complete and they had decided to spend some down time at the hall. So from the short scuffle Vilkas’s breeches had small holes in the knees where the fabric had gotten caught on some rocks when he fell to the ground. She smirked as she offered her hand to her fallen lover; he grinned and took hold of her hand only to pull her down onto his lap.

“Wow; really mature Vilkas.”

“I try.”

She rolled her eyes as she straightened the collar on his shirt and dusted some dirt from his shoulder; he lovingly watched her fuss over him and felt content for the first time in awhile. When she was satisfied with his appearance she looked back into his eyes and smiled softly.

“Have you been staring at me?”

“I was just thinking..”

“Uh oh.”

“Very funny; but seriously.”

“Alright; what were you thinking about?”

“A lot of things; now that you’re in the circle and everything seems to have calmed down since Skjor. Things seem peaceful; dare I say normal. It’s nice to be able to relax for a change and not worry that you’re going to get yourself killed; or someone is after you. The Silver Hand seems to have disappeared; whatever you two did that day really must of scared them.”

“I guess; although if two angry werewolves were closing in on me I think I would be pretty frightened myself.”

“You have a good point; but it seems we can finally relax a bit.”

“Don’t jinx us Vilkas.”

They both laughed and she snuggled closer to his chest; it did seem rather perfect all of a sudden. She looked up at him and saw that he was already looking at her; the distance between them slowly closed until their lips finally met in a gentle kiss. Their wolf spirits sighed at the action and the two pressed closer together as they lost themselves in each other’s touch; so much so they didn’t hear Aela exit the mead hall.

“Whoa; hey love birds break it up! Don’t forget you’re outside not in the bedroom.”

They reluctantly broke apart as Vilkas turned to glare at Aela for her interruption; the red head rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the small female.

“Kodlak wants to see you; seems urgent.”

“Alright; i’m on it.”

She removed herself from Vilkas’s arms and stood up; Vilkas followed and they slowly walked back to the tables. She grabbed her axes and walked into the mead hall ahead of Aela and Vilkas; Aela stooped the tall raven haired nord and focused her golden eyes on his silver ones.

“He wants to talk to her alone; you need not follow.”

“What does he want?”

“Don’t know; could be anything but its none of my business.”

“You seem angrier than normal; what's wrong Aela?”

“Nothing; well nothing that can be dealt with.”

“Aela?”

“Fine; i’m jealous alright?”

“Jealous? Of what?”

“Well; you still have your lover. I….don’t.”

“And us being together upsets you.”

“Gods that sounds awful; but I guess that is the best way to say it. You get to be so happy and see Leilani whenever you wish; you can be with her anytime but I can’t see Skjor until I join him in the Hunting Grounds of Hircine.”

“Sister; I promise you the pain and loneliness will ease with time. When our father left Farkas and I we wept for days; we had no idea what happened or why he didn’t return. We assume he died during the Great War but we won’t ever know for certain. At least you know that Skjor died honorably defending us from the Silver Hand; you know what happened and can cope accordingly.”

“You do have a point brother; but still I feel uneasy when I see lovers and couples now. It just reminds me that i’m now alone in my endeavors; you and your brother hate the gift that was given and Kodlak wants to destroy it entirely. I’m the only one left that loves my strength and speed that came with my beast blood and I can’t stand the isolation that comes with that.”

“I understand Aela; and I promise to keep our affection for each other in check when we are in the company of the Companions. No more public displays; I promise.”

“Don’t promise something that can’t be accomplished; your wolf spirits are now fully aware of the lust you to share for each other and will take full advantage of those feelings whenever possible. Your wolves already consider you two mates and that physical need for intimacy will just increase. Trust me; I know.”

Vilkas couldn’t deny that she had a point; in the past few weeks his spirit had longed for Leilani more than it ever had before. His wolf was barely satisfied with the passing glances and occasional stolen kisses when no one was looking; he wanted more and the wolf inside would ensure that he got it. He shook those thoughts from his head and focused his attention back on Aela.

“Well perhaps Leilani and I have more self control than you and Skjor.”

“You keep telling yourself that Vilkas; but you’ll both give in eventually and then i’ll be there to tell you that I told you so.”

Aela left his side and walked into the training yard to start her archery practice; Vilkas proceeded into the hall and sit at the table near his twin. Meanwhile in the depths of Jorrvaskr Leilani was deep in conversation with the Harbinger.

“I regret my actions Kodlak; truly I do. I knew it was wrong yet I let my guilt for Skjor’s death justify the massacre of the Silver Hand…”

“You have spilled more blood than what was called for; Skjor’s death was avenged when you ransacked the very fort he died in. This is not the way of the Companions; honor before bloodshed sister.”

“Yes sir; I know that. I have no excuse for my actions; i’m fully prepared for the consequences.”

“Well; then you are going on a mission for me Leilani; and you must keep this a secret from everyone else.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I believe I have found a cure for our lycanthrophy; this is all returning to the very source of the curse itself.” 

“You found a cure?! How can I help?”

“You will journey south towards Falkreath and find the Coven of Glenmoril; they are the very witches that led one of my predecessors astray. This will be dangerous Leilani and I want you to put your safety above all else; we must get to the seat of their power and unlock the knowledge of the curse itself. In order to do this you need to kill one or wipeout the entire coven and bring their heads back here; quite the gory quest before you child.”

“I would be honored to do this for the Companions; especially for you Kodlak. I owe you so much and I can’t even begin to repay you for your kindness and guidance.”

“Think nothing of it child; I think of you as a daughter. One I am very proud of; you bring honor to the Companions lass.”

She felt her heart swell at Kodlak’s words as she found herself wrapping her arms around the old man and hugging him with all her might; he chuckled and patted her back. She backed away and he saw determination glowing in her eyes as she headed towards the study doors and into the common area to gather supplies for her journey.

“I’ll tell the lass of my plan when she returns with the heads; she will make a great new Harbinger…”

Leilani gathered her health potions and food rations before heading upstairs to get more supplies from Tilma. She also needed to see Eorlund about a new set of armour because her leather armour had been ripped to shreds during one of her hunting missions; the old blacksmith said he would have it done by the next time she needed it and that was about a week ago. When she emerged from the bowels of the hall she saw the twins laughing and drinking mead; she was so happy that Kodlak had found a cure. But he had said not to tell anyone; so she has to lie to the twins about where she will be going in the morning. Vilkas noticed her and waved her over to where he and his brother were sitting.

“There’s my girl; now what did Kodlak want with you?”

“Just a job in Falkreath; apparently the client asked for me by name and wants me to deal with a thief in the hold. Nothing I can’t handle; so i’ll be leaving in the morning. Oh; Tilma!”

“Yes dearie?”

“Can you get me some extra rations for my journey and any potions we have in the kitchen as well?”

“Sure sweetie; let me see that pack. I’ll get it organized and leave it by your bed when i’m finished. Oh; and Eorlund said your armour is ready.”

“Great! Thank you Tilma!”

“Of course sweetie.”

The old woman left with Leilani’s pack and she turned back to the twins; Farkas was holding out a bottle of mead and she happily took it. Vilkas then wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her down into his lap; he knew Aela would be spending her afternoon in the yard training so he allowed himself to indulge in his lover. Leilani yelped at the motion but soon situated herself on Vilkas lap before uncorking her bottle of mead. Farkas smiled at the couple and laughed at their familiarity.

“You two just can’t keep your hands to yourself can you?”

“I think I have more control than your brother; he’s practically useless without me now.”

“Ha! You’re right about that.”

Farkas and Leilani laughed as Vilkas glared at them in mock anger; he pinched Leilani’s side and she just gazed into his eyes lovingly. She kissed his cheek and then continued to drink her mead and talk to the brothers about her plans for the journey; she couldn’t go into much detail but the brothers didn’t pry to much.

“Well I better head up to Eorlund; he said that my new armour would be special. Do you two want to come?”

“Sure; we don’t have anything else to do.”

The twins followed Leilani out of the hall and up to the Skyforge; Leilani jogged over to Eorlund who smiled upon her arrival. He motioned to the bench behind him and that’s when Leilani saw her new armour; it was an altered version of what Kodlak and Vilkas wore. Her very own set of wolf armour to signify her rank among the Companions; Farkas also had a set but he chose to use his steel armour for most missions. She ran her hands along the etching in the metal and through the fur that was wrapped around the armour’s waistline. She loved it; she was finally getting proof of her acceptance. Not that she ever doubted it but now she had something to show for her efforts with the Companions; best day ever! She payed Eorlund for his work and grabbed her armour and happily bounced down the steps with the twins trailing not far behind.

“You seem really happy about that armour sister; seems like Vilkas has been replaced huh?”

“Very funny Farkas; but nothing could replace him.”

Vilkas smirked and rolled his eyes as she ran into the hall and eagerly changed into her armour; when finished she ran back outside and showed the brothers her new protection. The brother’s admired the way the metal hugged her body much like her leather armour had done in the past. She looked like she truly belonged among them and that brought joy to the twins; especially Vilkas. He saw pure joy and happiness cross her features as she spun around in her new armour; things really were going well for the group and he was glad things were finally perfect. But little did the group know that something evil was lurking right outside the city walls; something that would scar the group more than they could possibly imagine.


	18. Witches,Wishes, and What ifs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani sets out on her special assignment from Kodlak and takes pride in her work. Only to return and have her heart ripped from her body.

Leilani woke up the next morning feeling restless; if someone had told her that the beast blood would affect her sleep she would have never been manipulated to take it. She stretched and pulled the furs tighter around her body; she barely opened her eyes wide enough to glance around the room and take in her surroundings. She had started sleeping in Vilkas’s room and she hadn’t quite gotten used to it yet; she turned over and came face to face with the nord. He was still sleeping peacefully and she smiled at his expression. Leilani snuggled closer and felt the warmth seep into her body; she let out a sigh of contentment that woke her partner.

“Leilani? Shouldn’t you be getting up?”

“Five more minutes; i’m going to be gone a few days so i’m going to enjoy this while I can. And how many times do I have to tell you that you can call me Lani?”

“Probably a couple more times before it really sinks in; besides I told you that we have to remain professional when we are around others.”

“But we are the only ones in here Vilkas; so humor me for now.”

Vilkas smiled and rolled his eyes as the breton burrowed deeper into his chest; he kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around his small warrior. After a few minutes Vilkas put his hand under her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his; her eyes were still heavy from sleep but he knew how hard it was to sleep with the beast blood running wild inside. He leant in and gently kissed her lips and her eyes shot open; she smiled and kissed the tip of his nose before jumping out of bed. She was wearing one of Vilkas’s tunics and it almost looked like she was wearing a dress. Vilkas smirked and swung his legs over the side if the bed and watched as the breton equipped her new armour and tied her axes to her hips. She grabbed her pack from the foot of the bed and flung that over her shoulder as well; making some last adjustments to her armour and weapons before turning towards the door and mentally preparing herself for the mission ahead of her. Failure wasn’t an option this time; Kodlak is relying on her getting those heads and she wasn’t about to pass up a chance to rid the Companions of this curse. She felt a presence behind her as she hesitated at the threshold; Vilkas wrapped his arms around her and put his head on her shoulders.

“You’ll be fine love; you’re well prepared and very talented with both magick and hand to hand combat. I have no doubts that this job will be simple; although you haven’t exactly told me what the job is.”

“I think it’s just a routine intimidation job; you know stuff that Farkas usually deals with..”

“Hmph; well then there is no need to worry. Now go and get back; it’s going to be awfully quiet without you around Lani.”

“Hpmh; why do I think that you’ll actually enjoy my absence?”

“Well having the bed to myself again might be nice…”

“Hey!”

“Kidding; you will be missed. Who else would I torment?”

“Farkas?”

“Eh; i’ve done that ever since we were born. Now go; don’t forget to sleep and eat while on the road. You know that you could always take the carriage; he gives good rates to the Companions.”

“Why?”

“We saved a relative of his from bandits a few years back; we told him that the gold was enough but he was adamant that he offer a discount for his services.”

“Convenient. Maybe i’ll take it to Falkreath and then stay the night in the local in instead of the forest; it would definitely save on time too.”

“It's settled then; go on and get moving you’re already behind schedule.”

“I know mom…”

“Real mature.”

“I try to be.”

“Maybe I will enjoy the quiet after all…”

She smiled and wrapped her arms around Vilkas’s neck before pulling him down and placing her lips on his. He returned the affection and encircled her waist with his arms; her cold armour was pressed against his chest and he shivered slightly at the touch. She broke the kiss and hugged him tightly; she was doing this for everyone not just Kodlak. After saying her goodbyes to her shield siblings she walked through the market and out of the front gates; she saw the driver feeding his horse and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Need a ride?”

“Yes; to Falkreath please. Oh and i’m a Companion..”

“I figured as much; you wear the armour well enough. Climb in back and we’ll be off. The price is ten gold; you can pay me when we get to the city.”

“Thank you; I appreciate it. How long will it take to get there?”

“We should arrive at sundown; well without any trouble that is.”

“Okay; let’s get a move on then.”

The driver hopped up onto the carriage and grabbed the reins; Leilani situated herself on one of the side benches and grabbed a book out of her pack as the driver prodded the horse forwards. She brushed off some of the dirt that the book had on its cover and ran her fingers over the title. **_The Beggar Prince_**. Such a great book; it also contained some great points about pickpocketing not that she needed it.

“Have you heard the rumors about Falkreath hold?”

“Rumors?”

“They say werewolves run rampant through the forests; a child was even killed by one of the beasts. Poor thing; her parents are holding a service in the graveyard tomorrow. Although some say it was a man that murdered the girl; can’t keep the stories straight though so I might be mistaken.”

A child was mauled by a werewolf? But the only werewolves she knew of were the ones in the Circle; and if some say it was a man the possibility of him being moon born is a more likely story than just a rogue werewolf prowling the forest for victims. Still such a tragedy for a child to be murdered in her own town; still so young and innocent. She read her book until the sun started to set and she could barely make out the words; she packed the book away and inhaled the scent of pine from the trees that now surrounded them. The rest of the trip was uneventful and she finally reached her destination just in time for supper; she paid the driver and made her way to the inn to find lodgings for the night. When she first entered the tavern she found it surprisingly empty and slowly walked towards the counter.

“How can I help you?”

“I need a room for the night; and some food if you have any ready.”

“We have one room left for ten gold and I can offer you some stew and mead for an additional ten.”

“That’s a little pricey.”

“Well as you can tell we don’t get much business; Falkreath is small and quiet we make enough to get by.”

“I see. Well then; here’s twenty gold and I hope the stew is worth it.”

The innkeeper rolled her eyes and showed Leilani to her room; she dropped off her pack and then lingered in the main hall waiting for her food. The bard was playing ** _Ragnar the Red_** and she smiled at the old tune; she loved hearing the bards sing and play their instruments it reminded her of her home in High Rock. So many musicians and chefs had come From her homeland; it was times like this she was proud to be a breton. Although she possessed no talent for singing or cooking; but she found comfort in her magic abilities and knew that she could be proud of her accomplishments with restoration. The next morning she awoke early to get a head start towards the cave where Kodlak said the witches resided; she had studied Hagravens and the like a little before but had never seen one in person. After a few hours of traversing the woods and killing a few wolves along the way she finally arrived at the gloomy cavern.

“An animal skull at the entrance and weird taproot charms hanging from the trees; this is not going to be fun.”

She crept into the cave and soon spotted one of her targets in the middle of a tomb like chamber; she also noticed a frostbite spider lurking near the horrifying creature as well. Hagravens truly were terrifying to behold; she crept through the shadows until she was nicely hidden in some nearly dead bushes off to one side. She conjured up a destruction spell and aimed it at the small frostbite spider that was protecting it’s master; the spider screeched as it burned to a crisp causing it’s master to become alert to the potential danger lurking in the shadows. As the hagraven looked over the body of her fallen pet Leilani sprang forth from the shadows and planted one of her axes into the creature’s side causing it to scream and swing it’s claws towards her.

“You belong to Hircine now!”

The creature screamed at her and continued to curse her until Leilani’s second ax found its home in the hagravens neck. The witch fell to the ground and Leilani used her destruction magic to finish the job; when the body had stopped moving she dislodged her axes and examined the body. The head was still untouched but the body had been burnt to a crisp; she took one of her axes and set about beheading the poor creature. When she was finally able to extract the head her stomach had decided to reject its contents. After she vomited she grabbed the head then noticed that there was no way it was fitting in her pack; she spied a large sack out of the corner of her eye and grabbed it. The head fell into it nicely and the bag still had plenty of room in it for more; she examined the cave and found four more entryways to what she assumed were other rooms which contained more of the coven.

“Well; I need at least one for each member that shared the blood. Might as well do away with all these wretches and be done with it.”

And she did just that; making her way from chamber to chamber gathering heads like they were produce ripe for the picking. The last one had given her some trouble and her skin was slightly burned by the witch’s magic before she could end the poor soul; but she got the job done and exited the cave with a large bag full of heads. She was covered in blood and scorch marks from her battle but alive nonetheless; she drank a healing potion and her burns healed significantly and she set off for the city. It was around sunset when she reached the inn once more; she hesitated at the door. She was holding a bag full of witch heads and a smell was starting to reach her nose; how can she explain this?

“Well I need to rest here for the night so I need to come up with something.”

She pushed through the door and found the innkeeper once more; the lady noticed her patron’s appearance but made no comment when Leilani held out a coin purse containing thirty gold coins. She told Leilani she could have the same room as before and that food would be brought to her; Leilani also requested a bath before retiring to her room. She stored the heads in the chest at the foot of her bed so they would be out of the view of prying eyes; she ate dinner and then washed her worries away in a nice hot bath. She was done and heading home in the morning; they were going to cure themselves and live as true warriors should.

“Ugh; I wish tomorrow would come sooner. Well; time for some shut eye.”

She dried herself off and dressed in some night clothes before returning to her room and falling into the furs; she was slipping into sleep when a feeling of dread washed over her. She sat upright in bed and looked around the room listening for any threat that may be lurking near; she saw and heard nothing.

“Why do I feel so uneasy? It’s probably just the blood; Vilkas said that it would take some time before sleep was once again peaceful.”

She tucked herself in and tried to shake the unsettling feeling that was weighing her down; she felt her wolf spirit become restless and worried as she finally allowed sleep to overcome her. She awoke before dawn the next morning with anxiety flooding into her; her wolf spirit had become panicked and was urging her to return home as soon as she could. She immediately dressed and gathered her things before hastily leaving the inn and almost jogging all the way to Whiterun; the journey seemed to be shorter than she thought and she saw the outline of the capital in the distance. As she neared the city her wolf became even more restless and anxious; she pushed the feelings aside and calmly made her way up from the stables and through the front gates. Everything in the city seemed fine at first glance; but she heard whispers on the wind. Then she smelled the unmistakable stench of blood wafting through the air; she sprinted towards the smell and it led her to the steps of Jorrvaskr. She saw Torvar and Aela standing over the lifeless bodies of bandits with their weapons drawn and their eyes surveying the surrounding area.

“Aela! What happened?”

She just stared at the breton and kicked a sword in her direction; that’s when Leilani understood what had happened. Silver. She ran inside the hall and slammed into someone; she had dropped the bag due to the collision. She looked up into eyes that she knew all too well; although they seemed more rigid and cold than usual.

“Where were you?!”

“What do you mean? You know where I was; I was on a job for-”

“You said that it wouldn’t take that long; that you would be back!”

“Vilkas I-”

“The Silver Hand attacked the hall and made off with all the pieces of Wuuthrad! Not only that but look there sister…”

She tore her gaze away from the angry nord to see Kodlak lying on the floor in a pool of blood; he was still alive but fading quickly. She pushed past Vilkas and ran to the old man’s side; she knelt beside him and took hold of his hand; Kodlak weakly turned his head to smile at the breton.

“I see you made it…..i’m glad to see you….safe.”

“Shh; just lay still i’ll heal you…”

“No child; Danica already tried…... My wounds are too severe; and because of silver weapons no less…”

“No; she must’ve missed something. Let me try Harbinger; I know I can help you.”

“You already have…… you have the heads….you can help the others for me..”

“But what about you!? This is all you wanted and now..”

Leilani was sobbing by this point and she allowed her tears to flow freely down her cheeks until they fell onto Kodlak’s chest. She tightened her grip on the old man’s hand as she tried to push her restoration magick into his body; his body rejected her spells and continued to bleed.

“Kodlak please! You can’t die; not like this….”

“Leilani...please child… don’t cry..”

“I can’t help it; it’s not fair! If I had arrived sooner; if I had listened to my instincts and returned last night I could have prevented this! This is all my fault!”

“Shhh…. No child… none of us could have foretold this…”

“But..”

“Leilani; I need you…. To be strong….help the others...we will meet again.”

“Kodlak….please don’t go.”

The old nord smiled as his eyes finally closed and his hand went limp in Leilani’s; she shook her head in disbelief as she felt a hand fall onto her shoulder. She was able to make out Farkas’s face through her tears; she threw her arms around him and he returned her hug. She looked up over Farkas’s shoulder to see Vilkas crying as well; they had lost Kodlak and she had lost hope of ever finding a cure for the others. Seeing Kodlak’s body lifeless on the floor cause her memories to come flooding back; her brother’s body being displayed before her in that torture chamber. Her powers useless and she too weak to do anything; her sobbing became even more violent as Vilkas neared her. He took Leilani from his brother’s arms and held her close to his chest; she clung to him desperately as if he too would die if she let him go. Vilkas gripped her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his.

“We will make them pay for what they have done; they will regret the day they crossed us.”

Leilani nodded and buried her face in his chest once more; Kodlak will be avenged even if she has to rip out every throat herself. The Silver Hand had sealed their fate and Leilani was now out for blood; the thought of the hunt rushed about her brain. She broke away from Vilkas and the nord saw a new fire spring forth in her eyes.

**_“Those bastards will pay; on my honor I will avenge Kodlak and rip their throats out myself. Talos have mercy on their souls….”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so depressed when I returned from the coven and found Kodlak dead; I felt so bad for not being able to help in the battle. Needless to say I was ruthless when clearing out the last Silver Hand hideout.


	19. Fully Forged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leilani and Vilkas get revenge for Kodlak's murder; but Leilani finds a secret in the Harbinger's quarters as she tries to find a new purpose for the Circle.

It didn’t take long for the couple to prepare for the task ahead and exit the city; not a word was spoken between them for most of the journey. Leilani kept a fair amount of distance away from Vilkas during their walk; she felt the anger of his wolf spirit seeping out of him. Her spirit was on edge as well; Kodlak’s death was weighing heavily on her shoulders and she allowed her emotions to take control of her heart and mind as they neared their destination. A blizzard had started up near the fort and Leilani cursed under her breath as the snow and cold seeped into her skin; still not a word from Vilkas as the fort came into view. It had taken them only two days to reach the destination; each person sleeping only when absolutely necessary and eating only dried food while walking on the road.

“Get ready; I sense many heartbeats inside that hideout. We will need to conserve our strength in order to succeed in our mission. However; I know the wold blood is running hot but we need to do this as ourselves. No transformation; we use our warrior spirits for this one.”

“Of course; Kodlak would have wanted it that way…”

“For Kodlak.”

“For Kodlak..”

Leilani armed herself and Vilkas did the same as they charged towards the fort; three Silver Hand agents were standing outside the fort entrance. Leilani quickly made her way around the side of the fort and up the stone stairs to the roof where an archer stood ready with an arrow; she dodged the arrow and swiftly planted her ax in the man’s side. The man fell to his knees and then she mercilessly decapitated him with her other ax; she leaned over his corpse and removed the ax that was planted in his side. She noticed that Vilkas had given the same treatment to the others that lingered outside as well; she wiped the blood from her weapons and met Vilkas at the small wooden door that led into the hideout. She noticed that he looked her over a couple times before deciding that she sustained no injuries and then placed his hand on the door handle.

“Ready?”

“Absolutely.”

He swiftly opened the door and the pair ravaged that fort like Talos himself commanded them to do so; by the time they reached the final chamber they were both covered from head to toe in blood. When they saw the final three in the chamber their energy was renewed and they each attacked the enemy with full force. When the trio laid dead at their feet Leilani found all the fragments of Wuuthrad on a table; she gathered them and stowed them in her pack. Her gaze fell on her blood soaked hands as she placed the last piece in her bag; so much blood had been spilled in anger. Then she realized that she didn’t remember any of what just happened in that fort; her emotions made her see red and she couldn’t recall anything that had taken place when she stepped inside the hideout. She felt a chill run up her back and she realized it was guilt slowly creeping its way into her mind; her hands started shaking as she sank to her knees.

“Woah; Leilani! What’s wrong?”

“So much….blood…”

“None of it’s yours; everything is alright.”

“But; I can’t remember anything that we just did here. We killed so many people who were only fighting for what they thought was right. Before I left to do that job for Kodlak he was scolding me for my actions with Aela; how I just mindlessly killed the Silver Hand to avenge Skjor and how I had spilled more blood than what was necessary. That’s what we just did to these men and women who just thought differently than we do; we killed so many and I can’t help but feel that there could have been another way to get the pieces back.”

“Leilani; if we didn’t do this they may have returned and tried to finish us off.”

“But; you took care of most of them back at Jorrvaskr. This was all that remained of the faction; they couldn’t have stormed Jorrvaskr again even if they wanted to. They may have killed Kodlak; but that was one casualty compared to the massacre that just took place because of our hands.”

“Listen to me love; we did the right thing. We brought honor to the Companions; trust me Kodlak would understand.”

“I’m not so sure anymore…”

She stood up and made her way towards the door at the back of the chamber; she lifted the door bar and proceeded to make her way out of the fort and into the freezing tundra. Her lungs burned at the sudden intake of cool air; she grabbed some snow and buried her face in it to clean the blood off her face. When she was convinced her face was clean she then washed her hands in the snow as she felt Vilkas come up behind her; he followed her example and washed his exposed flesh as well. Soon night fell and they made camp a little ways away from the fort; as Vilkas set up the tent Leilani sat quietly by the fire and warmed herself. When Vilkas finished setting up the bedrolls and lighting the lanterns he returned to her side and gently put his hand on her shoulder.

“Lass; we should get some rest.”

“Right.”

They made their way into the tent and Vilkas closed the flaps securely behind them with leather cord; it was already getting warm in the tent due to the lanterns. Leilani absentmindedly removed her armour until she was just in her small clothes; she set her armour to the side as she climbed into her bedroll and wrapped herself in the furs. Vilkas made sure she was comfortable before removing his own armour and sliding behind her and encircling her in his arms. She turned towards him and buried her face in his chest as he calmly stroked her hair until she fell asleep. He remained awake for some time contemplating what his lover had said in the fort. That they had acted rashly and how they had disgraced Kodlak’s memory by doing so; he knew the old man’s philosophies about killing and honor. Leilani did have a point but surely the situation called for bloodshed; a man he had considered his father was murdered in his own home. It was supposed to be safe in Jorrvaskr but somehow those Silver Hand bastards still got in; and when he was there as well.

“Lass has a point I guess; but now no one else has to fear those bastards anymore. Surely the world is better off with them gone.”

Leilani stirred in his arms she murmured something incomprehensible; he planted a kiss on the top of her head and she stilled and fell back into peaceful slumber. Vilkas soon closed his eyes and welcomed the restless sleep that overpowered him. The next morning they quietly dressed and packed away their small campsite; the rest of the walk back to Whiterun was uneventful and they thanked the Divines for the peaceful journey. Once Leilani saw the outline of the capital she felt her heart slightly break; Kodlak wouldn’t be there to welcome them home. Vilkas felt the pain and sorrow coming from Leilani as he reached for her hand and encased it in his own. By the time they reached the front gate Leilani was almost in tears at the thought of Kodlak truly being be gone; they made their way up to the mead hall and to the Skyforge. When Leilani saw Kodlak’s body carefully placed on a wooden pyre her breath caught in her throat and she tightened her grip on Vilkas’s hand; the couple took their positions up front with Aela and Farkas. Aela acknowledged them and then turned her attention back to the fallen Harbinger.

“Who will start?”

Farkas looked up from the place on the ground where he had been staring and looked to his shield sister.

“You start Aela…”

“Alright..”

They proceeded to recite the age old rite that was given at all funeral ceremonies for past Harbingers and fallen warriors of the guild.

**_Aela: "Before the ancient flame..."_ **

**_Everyone: "We grieve."_ **

**_Eorlund: "At this loss..."_ **

**_Everyone: "We weep."_ **

**_Vilkas: "For the fallen..."_ **

**_Everyone: "We shout."_ **

**_Farkas: "And for ourselves..."_ **

**_Everyone: "We take our leave."_ **

Then Aela lit a torch and slowly walked toward Kodlak; Leilani saw the slight hesitation before the red head lowered her torch and set the pyre ablaze. Leilani watched on in silence her hand tightly encased in her lover’s as they watched a beloved mentor’s ashes float calmly into the air. Aela turned and walked back towards the circle and looked at her siblings.

“Members of the Circle; let us withdraw to the underforge to grieve our last together..”

Aela started down the steps and Farkas followed closely behind her; when Leilani and Vilkas turned to join them Eorlund stood in their way. Leilani tried to smile but her sorrow was too much for her.

“Leilani; you have the pieces of Wuuthrad right?”

“Yes; here you go.”

She handed him her pack and the old blacksmith rooted through it and removed all the pieces of the broken battleaxe.

“There is one more piece that Kodlak always kept close; could you go retrieve it from his room for me?”

“Of course; Vilkas you can go ahead and join the others in the underforge i’ll be there soon.”

“Alright love.”

Vilkas jogged to catch up with the others as Leilani made her way into the hall and down to Kodlak’s bedroom to search for the last piece of the ax. While rummaging through his chests and his bedside table she found a small leather bound book sitting neatly inside one of the drawers; the last piece was resting on top of the small text. She grabbed both objects and as she ran her fingers over the engravings on the shard of metal in her hand her eyes kept returning to the book in her other hand.

“Is this…. Kodlak’s Journal?”

She undid the small clasp that held the book shut and she started to read the entries as she started walking back to the Skyforge; by the time she reached Eorlund she had learned so much about Kodlak and how he had known her before they had even met in person. She gave the piece to Eorlund and ran to the Underforge eager to share the journal with the rest of the Circle; had Kodlak really wanted her to be Harbinger one day? Was she even capable of being a leader for this rowdy group of warriors? When she entered the Underforge her thoughts ceased as she heard Vilkas and Aela arguing.

“Kodlak wanted one thing before he died; and he didn’t get it! He wanted to meet Ysgramor as a true nord; he wanted to be clean!”

“The blood is not as bad a curse as you might believe; besides you got revenge for his death I don’t see what the fuss is about.”

“Kodlak never cared for vengeance; he wanted to be cured…”

“You’re right; it's what he wanted. And he deserves to have it…”

Leilani joined them by the stone basin and rested her hand on Vilkas’s shoulder; he rested his hand on top of hers and turned back towards his shield siblings.

“Kodlak talked about having finally found a cure for this disease; he also mentioned Ysgramor’s tomb and its significance to the cure.”

Aela looked at him in confusion before looking to Farkas and Leilani for any explanation; when her shield siblings shared similar looks of confusion she turned to Vilkas with curiosity in her yellow eyes.

“You mean the old folk tales about it holding some ancient power to commune with the dead warriors? But we can’t even enter the main tomb without Wuuthrad and it’s in pieces! It’s impossible to pass through that crypt without that weapon.”

Then Eorlund burst through the entrance with a large weapon strapped to his back; he approached the Circle with a sort of renewed confidence as he stood next to Leilani.

“And dragons were once only legends; and elves once ruled Skyrim. The fires of the Skyforge are burning with a new passion I have never seen before; they are capable of making better weapons than I had ever thought possible. That is exactly what Wuuthrad is friends; a weapon. Weapons are meant to be broken and repaired….”

Vilkas’s jaw dropped open as he recognized the hilt of the blade and he realized the familiar etchings of old nordic tongue. His hopes were skyrocketing as the once impossible mission they were discussing was quickly becoming achievable.

“D-did you repair the blade?!”

Eorlund drew the blade from his back and presented it to the Circle; the companions looked on in wonder at the size and of the ax and the power it was emitting. This ax was the cause of much bloodshed among elvenkind; the first companions had the honor of seeing their leader use it to conquer Skyrim and then Tamriel itself. Eorlund held the blade out towards Leilani and she looked at the old man in confusion; all the blacksmith did was smile as he handed the battle ax to the small breton.

“Since you were the one responsible for bringing me the pieces I feel that it is only right for you to carry this to the tomb of Ysgramor and free Kodlak’s spirit.”

“Me? B-but surely one of the twins or Aela are more deserving…”

“No lass; Kodlak would want you to wield it in his honor; now all of you prepare to go to the tomb. And be ready for the battle of your lives; for Kodlak!”

“For Kodlak!”

The group had found a new purpose in their time of sorrow; they were going to give Kodlak what he wanted even if they died in the process. The group decided to head out at dawn in order to cover a decent amount of ground to the tomb; the tomb was far off the shore of Winterhold and encased in ice and snow. Vilkas figured it would take at least two and a half days to reach the tomb let alone explore it and find Kodlak’s spirit; so each member set off to collect supplies and anything else they thought was necessary for the quest. Vilkas and Leilani retired to their room to relax after their raid on the Silver Hand; they had barely used their provisions on the journey so they just decided to take what they had not used and it should be sufficient for the mission. Leilani was still clutching the journal as she entered the room with Vilkas behind her; she sat on the edge of the bed and just stared at Kodlak’s handwriting until Vilkas noticed the small book.

“Love? What is that book?”

“I found it in Kodlak’s bedside table when I was looking for the piece of Wuuthrad; it’s his journal. He had so many notes about his findings about the disease and his theories about how to cure it; he also recorded some dreams he had thought were important.”

“Really? He didn’t strike me as the kind of man to keep a dream journal…”

“It was only this one dream…”

“What was it about?”

“Um; you should see for yourself….”

She handed him the leather bound book and watched as his eyes scanned over each word with interest; reading about how Kodlak had researched the curse pretty much his whole life and how he had tried so hard to convince Aela and Skjor of its wrongful nature. Then he found the dream; his face displayed multiple emotions as Leilani looked on with anxious eyes. She saw disbelief and curiosity cross his features as well as understanding and eventual acceptance of the Harbinger’s words. He closed the book and looked down on Leilani with a certain fondness that she hadn’t seen in a very long time.

“Well then; seems like Kodlak had some knowledge of you even before you graced us with your presence.”

“You aren’t upset?”

“I’m a little shocked; but i’m sure Kodlak had his reasons. But until we figure out how to cure him lets keep this journal a secret; we don’t want Aela freaking out about this.”

“Why would she freak out?”

“Well; you know Aela has an….aggressive approach to who should be leader. You know her views of the blood; I think she might try to say you’re lying or we forged Kodlak’s journal entries. We just need to be delicate especially with Kodlak’s recent death; Farkas won’t give us any trouble but I just want to be safe.”

“You do have a point; we need to put Kodlak first right now and then handle this later. But I want to keep the journal close until then; I feel like a piece of Kodlak is still here if I have this…”

“I understand love; now let’s get some sleep we have quite the trip ahead of us and it won’t be easy.”

“It can’t be harder than fighting a dragon or dealing with the loss of the only father figure I actually liked….”

Vilkas offered her a weak smiled and sat next to her on their bed; he draped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her close to his body. She rested her head on his shoulder and felt herself relax in his arms; her wolf spirit was content in the arms of her mate. Safe and protected; something she had treasured feeling after a lifetime of pain and misery.

“Vilkas..”

“Yeah?”

“I love you….”

This was the first time that those words had been spoken in earnest between the couple; sure when one of them angered the other the troublemaker would respond with ‘oh you know you love me’ and the other would shake their head and drop the argument. But now; Vilkas felt the true emotion and feeling behind her words. It left him speechless; so much so that he hadn’t responded to her confession.

“Um Vilkas? It would be nice if you replied to my vulnerability….”

“Sorry! It just caught me off guard. I love you too Lani….so much.”

“You finally called me Lani!”

Vilkas laughed and brought his lips to hers; they shared a very passionate kiss and Leilani felt a heat start to form between her thighs. Vilkas smelt her arousal and smirked as they kissed; he placed his hand on the back of her head as the kiss became more intense. Their heated make out session had caused Leilani’s wolf spirit to crave more; she left out a small moan as Vilkas’s tongue explore her mouth. Leilani broke the kiss and looked lustfully into her lover’s eyes; she saw a similar heat in Vilkas’s gaze as she took several deep breaths.

“I’m not really tired anymore…”

“I wasn’t going to let you sleep anyway…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for a while; my college courses are really making me work. I appreciate the patience and hope you all continue to bare with my slow updates. As always hope you all are well and comments and feedback are always welcome!


	20. Travel Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group find their way to the tomb encountering trouble along the way. Although it's nothing the girls can't handle.

The couple awoke the next morning wrapped in each others arms; Vilkas was the first to actually get out of bed and dress for the mission ahead. Leilani just lounged on the furs watching her lover dress and fix his bed head; she was still wrapped in the furs when Vilkas turned to face her.

“Come on love; we need to get moving. Kodlak awaits us in the tomb.”

“I know; i’m still a little tired from last night though. I mean I don’t understand your stamina; do you never run out of energy?”

“Hmph; not when it comes to you love. You drive me wild.”

She blushed as she ran her hands over the fur that covered her still naked torso; Vilkas smirked as he picked up her underclothes and threw them at her. She caught each article and quickly dressed herself as her mate fetched her wolf armour and Wuuthrad; after she had her underclothes situated on her frame she reached for her armour. After Vilkas helped her secure the straps of her armour she braided her hair and slipped on her boots; Vilkas eyed the battleaxe reclining against his desk and wondered if his little breton would even be able to carry it the whole way to the tomb.

“Vilkas; I can practically hear the gears turning in your head. What is the problem?”

“Just thinking…”

“About?”

“You trying to carry that ax; you sure you can handle it? It’s about as big as you are.”

“That’s what you’re concerned about? Vilkas I am more than capable of carrying that ax to the tomb; I think we both know that i’m strong.”

“Yeah I know but..”

“Vilkas; i’ll be fine trust me. Besides i’m more concerned about how you’re going to carry both of our packs. They aren’t exactly light; we stuffed those things full of potions and dried foods. Not to mention out tents and bedrolls; are you sure you can handle it?”

“That’s a joke right?”

“Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t; anyway let’s get going I think I can hear Aela and Farkas in the hall.”

Sure enough when Vilkas opened the door to their room he saw his brother patiently waiting for the couple to emerge; Vilkas rolled his eyes as Leilani yelled ‘I told you so’ as she exited the room. She hugged Farkas and the two started towards the stairs leaving the studious nord staring after them; Vilkas was glad that his brother had become so close to Leilani especially after what had happened before. Looking back on that day when he and his brother had almost come to blows over the cute breton hurt his pride as a nord; it had also allowed Skjor and Aela to take advantage of his mate and turn her into the very thing they wanted to banish from their bodies. Vilkas grabbed the two packs and jogged after his brother and lover; after finding them chatting with Aela about the dangers that the journey had in store for them he rested his chin on top of Leilani’s head and sighed.

“Hey! I’m not a head rest you know!”

“But you’re the perfect height for one…”

She rolled her eyes and adjusted the ax that was hanging from her shoulders; Vilkas was confident that she could carry the ax but that didn’t stop him from picking on her. Well after the group had left the capital they reached the outskirts of Morthal it was about sundown when they decided to stop there for the night and then walk to Winterhold the next morning. When the small company walked into the inn they were met with hushed whispers and quick glances; Leilani tapped Vilkas on the shoulder and the nord leaned down so she could whisper into his ear.

“Why are they looking at us?”

“I don’t think it’s us love; haven’t you noticed the tension in this town. It’s almost stifling how much hate and suspicion is coursing through the air. Maybe we should keep walking and camp out tonight.”

“It’s freezing outside! Plus it looked like it was about to blizzard out there; you might have some weird frost resistance but I do not!”

“True; but I don’t think outsiders are welcome here..”

Just when Leilani was about to respond she felt an unfamiliar hand on her shoulder; this unknown hand spun her around and she was brought face to face with a very stern looking nord.

“You outsider; you aren’t a mage are you? That last outsider was a mage and the next thing we knew a house burnt down and people died. So I suggest you stay the night and head out in the morning; we don’t need anyone else sticking around.”

She was too shocked to say anything; such blind hatred for outsiders and mages as well. Before she could formulate a proper sentence Vilkas stepped between her and the nord and stared daggers at the instigator.

“Back off friend; or else you’ll have to deal with me.”

“Hmph; just keep your little mage there in line. I know a magic user when I see one; and she’s a breton too that just proves my point.”

“Walk away…”

The stranger spat on the floor in front of Vilkas’s boots and walked to a table in the corner that was occupied by other nord men who seemed to laugh at their friend’s actions. Leilani could sense Vilkas’s blood start to boil and she quickly walked in front of him and rested her hands on his cheeks. His eyes were cast downwards in order to make eye contact with her but when he gazed into her emerald eyes he felt a wave of calm wash over him and he relaxed into her touch.

“Focus on me Vilkas; they aren’t worth it. Aela. Farkas. Let’s get the rooms and some dinner; and keep a low profile we don’t need the townsfolk to pester us anymore.”

Farkas and Aela nodded and went to find the innkeeper; Leilani focused back on her angry mate and smiled.

“Thanks for standing up for me Vilkas; but you know we can’t let our emotions take hold.”

“I know Lani; that was just protective instinct kicking in. No one messes with my mate; at least not while i’m around.”

“Mate huh? We aren’t even married Vilkas.”

“Marriage or not; in my eyes you belong to me and I belong to you. Even though you are rather young; your birthday is soon right?”

“In about a weeks time; i’ll be in my twenty second winter. So much time has passed since i’ve left home and joined the Companions; but I wouldn’t have it any other way. And sorry for being young; better than being an old fart like you.”

“Hey!”

She giggled and jogged over to Farkas and started asking about rooms and food; Vilkas walked over as well as his brother dropped a key into Leilani’s hands. He and Leilani were going to share a room and Aela and Farkas had rented a family room with separate cots. A little more expensive but since the two weren’t intimate it was the favored option; they all retired to their rooms to change into tavern appropriate clothes before meeting in the main hall for dinner. The men had changed first and headed out to grab the food and find a table; each man dressed in a simple cotton tunic and breeches with brown leather boots on their feet. The pair had found a table and ordered four servings of venison stew and four pints of warm spiced mead; while waiting for their meals the two brothers quietly conversed amongst themselves.

“So Vilkas; when are you going to make Leilani a proper member of this family?”

“What?!”

“Come now brother; surely you want to marry the lass. You two seem rather serious about each other and it’s only right considering how you two have already slept with each other. It’s the right thing to do as a man and as a nord; make her an honest woman and marry her already.”

“Brother it’s not that simple; she’s still so young and I don’t even know if she wants to marry. Despite what I feel or think she is the one who has to agree to it; I am fully prepared to wait for her. And I want us both to be clean of the blood; I want her to accept me as my true self. The beast inside me clouds my thoughts and skews my judgement; I don’t want a marriage to start off like that.”

“I guess you have a point; how many heads did we bring along anyway?”

“I think four; one for Kodlak and extras in case we decide to cleanse ourselves as well. Provided of course that Kodlak’s theory is correct and we are able to cure him by these means.”

“Hmmm. Well I hope it works for all of our sakes; Lani seems to be determined to cure the old man and if we can’t I doubt she’ll ever be content again.”

“Yeah you’re probably right; anyway let’s talk of other things.”

“Like what?”

“Well I hear you and Ysolda were getting pretty close in the Bannered Mare one night. Seems i’m not the only one with love on the brain.”

“That’s- how did you find out about that?”

“Farkas; if you make out with someone in a public place word tends to get around. Maybe try to have some discipline and keep it in your pants.”

“You’re one to talk; you can’t keep your paws off Leilani! It’s a wonder you two don’t have a swarm of kids by now!”

“Now there’s a thought; can you imagine the cute little rascals running around? They have leilani’s eyes and our hair color; and my smarts and her warrior spirit-”

“Woah there brother; calm yourself don’t forget she has a duty to Skyrim as well as to us. She is Dragonborn after all; has she even answered the Greybeard’s summons yet?”

“I don’t know; she talked about it but I don’t think she ever went to High Hrothgar. To be honest I think she’s afraid of her destiny; and she has every right to be. Fighting dragons and saving the world is no simple quest; not to mention dangerous and uncertain.”

“Well I have faith in the lass; she is one tough woman. You really caught a good one; who knew you would be the luckiest bastard in all of Nirn. You know when we were younger girls would always ask me if we were really related.”

“Oh really?”

“Yup; since you had the brains and I had the brawn they always seemed surprised when I said we were twins. Although it’s not that hard to believe we never left each other’s side; always sparring and joking around. We were practically inseparable; we still kinda are but we know when the other needs space.”

“Hmph; good times brother. Good times.”

The bar maid had returned with their food and drink orders when Aela and Leilani finally made their appearance in the hall. All eyes were on the pair of ladies and what was draped around their bodies; Vilkas’s jaw dropped as his eyes freely roamed over Leilani’s figure. The two women were wearing matching tavern clothes; each one with a very low cut neckline and high leg slit. Their shoes were knee high and made of fine leather and they each wore specific amulets; Aela wore an amulet of Arkay and it rested perfectly on her breast bone. Leilani on the other hand wore an….. _ **AMULET OF MARA?!**_ Vilkas nearly spat out his drink as he eyed the amulet; is she really looking for marriage?! While Vilkas’s mind lingered on the amulet the other patron’s noticed the angelic like women who had appeared; the men who had taunted Leilani before were no looking on in disbelief as she stood before them in all her beauty. As the women neared the table where the twins were seated Farkas noticed that Leilani was slightly blushing while Aela looked completely at ease with the situation. Leilani sat next to Vilkas and Aela occupied the chair next to Farkas; each man speechless about the women at their table. Leilani broke the silence when she rested her hand on Vilkas’s shoulder and smiled at the twins.

“Thanks for ordering dinner boys; i’m starving. Vilkas hurry up and eat before it gets cold.”

They ate in silence until their bowls were empty and mugs were refilled; that’s when the locals become more….accommodating. The same nord that had antagonized Leilani came over to their table and tapped her on the shoulder; she turned and automatically narrowed her eyes when she saw who it was. Vilkas mirrored her expression as he draped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her against his chest protectively.

“Can I help you sir?”

“Uh; I just wanted to say that you look like one of the Divines in that dress..”

“Oh really? So even a breton can catch your eye; seems like it doesn’t take much to sway your views of women as long as they show some skin.”

“Well I-”

“Save it friend; I already have company for the night. And he’s ten times the nord you would ever be; besides looks aren’t everything and my escort has quite the head on his shoulders. Brawn is fine and all but if their personality is shit it doesn’t matter how strong you are. Now kindly remove yourself from our space; or else this little breton mage will set your clothes alight. Get it?”

The nord saw a fire burn bright in Leilani’s eyes and immediately retreated to his friends with his tail between his legs. Vilkas turned his attention to his lover and eyed her suspiciously.

“Did you two dress this way just to make a point?”

Aela smiled as she sipped on her mead and shrugged her shoulders; Farkas rolled his eyes and elbowed her in the ribs. She chuckled and set her mug down gently as she crossed her arms in front of her and leaned on the table.

“We thought that this was better than beating their heads in; it’s more subtle. Besides it doesn’t look like you mind seeing her in that outfit Vilkas; I think we found a new preference huh Leilani?”

She blushed as she sipped on her mead and pulled Vilkas’s arm tighter around her upper body; he could tell she was uncomfortable in her outfit but she was so cute. He sighed and stood up; he grabbed Leilani around the waist and hoisted her up and over his shoulder like a sack of wheat and walked towards their room. All the while hearing wold whistles and laughs from onlookers as Leilani beat her hands against his back all the way into the room. He set her down on the bed and then walked over to lock the door; after doing so he put the key on the nightstand and pinned Leilani down on the furs. His enormous frame caged her and she felt heat rise to her cheeks at the thought of him totally imprisoning her in his touch; thoughts of past encounters rushed into her brain as her gaze lingered on his lips.

“Lass; if you were uncomfortable then why did you agree to her plan.”

“I wanted to see your reaction…”

“Uh huh; well you could have gotten my attention without letting the whole town see your skin. And is that an Amulet of Mara?”

“Y-yes…”

“When did you get that?”

“A Khajit caravan came to Whiterun and I saw it; I felt it calling to me and I know that it’s a courtship tradition here. I wanted to make sure you knew my true feelings for you….”

“So marriage has crossed your mind?”

“A few times….”

“I’m flattered love.”

“But?”

“I want us both to be clean before we commit to each other in that way. I want to be married to you as a true nord; not clouded by the beast lurking inside me.”

“Why do I think that a beast will still reside in you even after the wolf spirit is cleansed?”

“Hmph. That beast will only come out for you my love; now please change into something sensible for bed.”

“You mean we’re going to sleep?”

“Yes; we have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow Lani. And as much as I would love to ravage you right now; we need to conserve our strength for the walk and upcoming battle.”

“I guess…”

VIlkas rolled his eyes and captured her lips in a heated kiss; breaking away a few minutes later to observe her red cheeks. He kissed her forehead and then lifted himself from the bed and walked over to their packs; he threw her some night clothes and then proceeded to change himself. After changing they snuggled into bed and let sleep overcome them; the next morning the group donned their armour and headed to Winterhold.

“Looks like we have to get down to the shoreline and cross the ice to get to the tomb.”

Leilani looked out over the ice cliffs as she said this; the group carefully found a path down to the frosted beaches and made their way across the ice to the entrance of the ancient nord tomb. They made their way inside and laid their eyes upon a statue of Ysgramor in all his glory; although Wuuthrad was absent from his grasp. She lifted the ax from its place on her back and placed it in the ancient statue’s hands; a small passage opened behind the statue and the group felt the energy of past warriors flood from the opening.

“Quite the battle lies ahead; be careful love.”

“Aren’t you coming Vilkas?”

“No; i’ll wait here. I’ve thought a lot about what you said at the fort and you’re right. Kodlak wouldn’t have wanted the revenge we took on his behalf. My heart is still clouded in grief and I think it’s best if I stay here. Farkas and Aela will accompany you; go and free our Harbinger.”

“You bring honor to the Companions Vilkas.”

“Thanks Lani.”

With that she turned and walked towards the entrance; she armed herself with her own axes she had brought with them and looked at her shield siblings. Each one had a fire burning within them as they prepared to descend into the depths of the burial site.

_**“FOR KODLAK!”** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have a question for you lovely people. I have maybe one or two chapters left of this story planned and I wanted your input on where it should go after this story finishes. Should I write about the main quest line some more and have Leilani trapeze through the wilds of Skyrim finding her purpose in this whole Dragon born business? Or would you like to see a sort of Epilogue chapter or two about her and Vilkas happily living their life on a homestead raising their kids? Although I feel like these can both be incorporated into one work I wanted to get your opinion on the subject. Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments; it will allow me to think of what direction the story should take. As always hope you all are well and continue to live happy lives!


	21. Kodlak's Honor and Leilani's Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kodlak is finally free and the other's come to terms with their own curses. Leilani finally thinks a peaceful life is possible.

The trio rushed through the caverns with weapons and spirits ablaze; Aela swiftly disposing of targets with her bow. Farkas and Leilani fought back to back in order to watch out for attacks on all sides; the spirits of the past Companions were no joke and certainly posed more of a threat than Leilani expected. After going through a few chambers they came across some spider webs blocking the way forward; Leilani ran her hand over the soft threads and sighed.  
“Well looks like it has to be either cut or burned; burning would probably be faster though.”  
She looked around her group and saw Farkas standing farther back than he should have been; she quirked her eyebrow at him and crossed her arms over her chest.  
“I’m not going to burn you Farkas. It’s okay to come closer.”  
“I can’t go any further…”  
“What? Why not?”  
“The crawly ones; ever since your trial I can’t get over those giant spiders. Everyone has a weakness and this one is mine; i’ll go wait with Vilkas at the entrance. Say hello to Kodlak for me sister.”  
She rested her hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile; Farkas returned it and then slowly made his way towards the exit while Leilani turned back to the web covered doorway.  
“Ready Aela?”  
“Of course.”  
Leilani summoned forth a powerful flame spell and blasted through the webs; she heard screeching on the other side and assumed some of her magic had hit a spider unintentionally. Aela charged in as soon as the flames and smoke disappeared; she made quick work of the pests and retrieved her arrows from their bodies. Leilani spied a chest near the corner of the room and made her way over to it. After discovering it was unlocked she threw open the lid and examined its contents; she took the health and magicka potions then saw a broken ancient sword and a purse of coins. Deciding the sword was not worth repairing she grabbed the coin purse and then pulled the chain which opened the path to the next chamber; which contained more spiders and a spirit or two lurking in the next hallway.  
After what seemed like hours of fighting Alea and Leilani finally reached the final chamber; Leilani took in the spacious room and marveled at the carvings that decorated the wall. Each one probably telling of some heroic tale of the Companions of old; she took a minute to catch her breath and clean her blades of the ectoplasm and spider blood that had covered her once clean axes. Then her eyes fell on the blue flame that occupied the center of the room; her spirit felt drawn to it almost like it was pulling her into it. The she saw a soft glow from the corner of her eye as she neared the flames; a familiar face came into view as she felt the tears form and fall from her eyes. She rushed to the spirit's side and wrapped her arms around it; finding that he was solid like the ones they had fought and not just a untouchable ghost.  
“Kodlak…...i’m so sorry I wasn’t there to help you….”  
“It’s okay my child; you had no way of knowing that the Silver Hand would attack. Do not blame yourself for my death; it was probably written long before we had even met.”  
“But-”  
“No child; I will not let you burden yourself with this matter.”  
“Alright; we brought the heads. Vilkas thinks we can still cure you in this state.”  
“Oh does he; that boy never was one to give in easily. Well let’s see if my theory was correct toss a head into the fire.”  
Leilani reached into the bag and grabbed hold of the wire like hair of a hagraven; she removed it from its dark resting place and held it before Kodlak. He nodded and she turned towards the flames; The flames engulfed the head and soon Kodlak’s ghost began to shift and morph. Leilani and Aela watched in horror as the wolf spirit exited Kodlak’s body and separated itself entirely from his being. Leilani wasted no time; as soon as the beast was detached from Kodlak she armed herself and started to swing and slash at the spirit. With each hit she felt the wolf spirit fade a little more into Oblivion; Aela soon provided support and let loose a storm of arrows that pelted the beast. After a good few minutes of struggling Leilani landed the finishing blow on the monster and it faded away with a howl of defeat. She wiped the sweat from her brow and sheathed her weapons a final time; she found Kodlak crouched nearby against a wall and ran to his side. He smiled at her as she approached; he held out his arm and she clasped it and helped raise him to his feet.  
“My mind feels so much clearer; my thoughts are no longer focused on the hunt. You have saved me Leilani and for that I will always be thankful. I can now head towards Sovngarde and meet Tsun in all his glory. My child you have brought honor to yourself and the Companions; I have no doubts now that you will make a fine Harbinger and lead the Companions on to further glory.”  
With that he faded away and then his spiritual presence was gone entirely from this world. Leilani fell to her knees as she struggled to maintain her composure; Aela came up behind her and rested a hand on her shoulders.  
“Did I hear him right? Are you to lead the Companions?”  
“Does this upset you?”  
“Not really; you’re strong and resilient. Plus far be it from me to disrespect Kodlak’s wishes. It is an honor to be the first to call you Harbinger; lets go tell the brothers.”  
“Thank you Aela; your approval means a lot to me. I want you to help me with this whole leadership thing, along with the twins.”  
“Of course Leilani; that’s what family is for right?”  
Leilani smiled and she followed the red head up a wooden ramp at the front of the chamber; stopping to open a chest to find the shield of Ysgramor himself resting inside. She lifted it out and tied it to her back; she also took a coin purse and some gems that lay inside. Aela had found her way further into the corridor and found a small treasury room above them. After ascending some stairs the two found themselves in a small room; after looking around the shelves for old tomes or leftover gold Leilani’s eyes landed on a chain fixed to the stone wall. She gripped the chain and pulled with force; she heard rocks shift and felt the chamber rumble. A small passageway opened up and the girls headed through it; soon Leilani saw a familiar figure come into view on the other side.  
“Vilkas!”  
“Lani? You’re alright!”  
She ran to Vilkas and embraced him with all her might; he wrapped his arms around her and twirled in a circle. After a couple moments he set her down and looked her over for injuries; after finding no serious wounds on her he noticed the shield on her back.  
“Where did you find that shield?”  
“In the main burial chamber; it belonged to Ysgramor himself! I think you should carry it; wield it in our founder’s name.”  
“Hmph; it would be an honor.”  
He untied the shield and strapped it on himself instead; then the main purpose for this journey struck him.  
“What of Kodlak?! Is he cured? Did it work?”  
“Kodlak is in Sovngarde as he should be; Hircine no longer has a claim on his soul. We did it Vilkas! We found a cure; we can return to normal!”  
“It’s really over then….”  
“Oh and Kodlak sends his regards to you and Farkas; he’s so proud of all of us. And he said that I should lead the Companions now; as the Harbinger. Aela heard it herself and has already accepted it; we don’t have to worry about it now. The journal is just confirmation of his wishes.”  
“Well then Harbinger; my congratulations to you. My brother and I will surely follow you till the end; right Farkas?”  
Farkas came around the statue and smiled; he swung his arm over the small breton’s shoulders and pulled her close to his body. She laughed and hugged him back; happy to finally feel like she belongs somewhere.  
“So do we all wanna get cured while we’re here? After a good night’s sleep that is; killing one wolf spirit takes a lot of energy. We should rest before trying to cure someone else.”  
“Well it's definitely worth considering; but let’s set up camp for the night and then decide what we want to do in the morning.”  
Everyone agreed to set up camp for the night and quickly set to work; once outside Aela and Leilani went off to hunt while the twins set up camp and scouted the surrounding areas. The girls were able to get a few rabbits and take down a baby horker; the hauled their kills back to camp and started to skin them. Then men had finished pitching the tents by the time the women had begun cooking the meal. The meal was spent in silence as the group watched the sky colors weave and twist amongst the stars; Leilani stayed close to Vilkas as the temperature continue to drop. Vilkas wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to his body; she snuggled closer as she sighed in contentment.  
“Must be nice being a nord; the cold doesn’t seem to affect you like it does me.”  
“Well when you live here all your life the ice tends to run through your veins; although I think you may have a little nord in you yet Lani. Your eyes maybe green but your spirit is strong like any true nord warrior; it wouldn’t surprise me if nordic blood coursed through you.”  
“I don’t know; my mother and father were bretons; but I guess their ancestors may have been from here. I never really knew my grandparents; I just hope mom is okay…..”  
“Have you ever tried writing to her?”  
“Several times; I could never bring myself to send the letters. I ended up burning them in the end; I just feel like she’s better off not knowing where I am or what i’m doing. Besides she may be dead for all I know; the Thalmor might have gotten her in the end like the rest of my family.”  
“Lani….”  
“Sorry; we should be celebrating. I think we should just thank the Divines that Kodlak got his final wish. Although i’m going to miss him so much; he was truly like a father to me.”  
“Aye; that he was lass. To all of us.”  
She rested her head on his shoulder until the cold became too much for her and they retired to their tent for the evening. While Leilani was brushing her hair out she realized that it had grown out more than she had wanted it to. Vilkas noticed that she had stopped running her fingers through her hair and came up behind her; his hands caressed her bare shoulders and a shiver ran up her spine at his touch. Her night clothes were thicker since she knew it would be cold but her shoulders were still exposed due to the loose neckline.  
“What’s wrong Lani?”  
“Nothing; my hair has gotten long and I think I should cut it a little. Nothing too drastic; I still want to be able to braid it.”  
“I like your hair long. Although I see the benefits of keeping it short; especially if we are going to be in combat.”  
“Yeah; I like it long too. But the braid makes it easier to fight; I’ll have Carlotta trim it when we get back to Whiterun.”  
“Alright; but let’s get to bed for now. If we have to fight our wolf spirits tomorrow we better be in top shape.”  
“Right; it was quite the battle. We need to bring extra health potions just in case.”  
As she checked off the things they would need Vilkas prepared the bedroll; he rolled his eyes as she fussed over the contents of their packs and walked over to her once more. He lifted her up bridal style and put her into the bedroll; she looked surprised but allowed him to settle in beside her and pull the furs over their bodies. Soon she felt the temptation of slumber overtake her as she sunk into darkness and a dreamless sleep.  
In the morning everyone met outside the tomb and discussed what to do; the twins wanted to be cures as soon as possible and Leilani agreed that it should be done sooner rather than later. Aela refused to give up her gift of the blood but no one pushed her to reconsider; Leilani thought that she would come around on her own terms but since Skjor died a werewolf she figured she would remain one as well in order to see him once more. After walking back into the tomb and down into the main burial chamber Vilkas deposited the sack of heads near a corner of the room and brought one back to the center. Leilani readied herself as Vilkas handed the head to his brother.  
“You should be clean first Farlas; I know that the only reason you are a werewolf is because I became one out of anger.”  
“Thank you Vilkas.”  
As Vilkas stepped away and drew his weapons Farkas held the head over the flames and dropped it in; skin rippled and Farkas grunted as a wolf spirit emerged from his body causing him to stagger and fall to his knees. The three remaining Companions began their attack and swiftly killed the beast; Leilani ran over to Farkas’s side as the beast howled and disappeared. She readied her magic and ran her hands over Farkas’s body as he knelt on the ground; Farkas allowed the magic to seep into him and his strength slowly returned to his body and he slowly got to his feet.  
“Brother! Are you alright!?”  
“I think so; my body aches but my mind has never been clearer. It’s like relaxing into a warm mug of spiced mead; peaceful and perfect.”  
Leilani watched him carefully as he stood and stretched; Farkas and Vilkas noticed the worry in her features and turned towards the fussing breton. Farkas smiled as he put his hand on Leilani’s head and ruffled her hair.  
“Hey!”  
“Don’t worry about me little sister; thanks to your magic I feel a lot better. One potion should put me back at full power and then we can get rid of your wolf.”  
“Are you sure you’re okay?”  
“Yes.”  
She eyed him suspiciously but dropped the subject as he gulped down a health potion; she then retrieved another head from the bag and walked to the flames. She made sure everyone was ready before dropping the head into the fire; she felt her soul start to burn as the wolf was forced from her body and out into the world. Her dragon was happy to finally be rid of the beast as her blood cooled within her; she was numb to the world around her as her shield siblings fought her wolf and were victorious. She let her body become limp on the ground until she felt arms wrap around her and hold her; he eyes came back into focus as she saw Vilkas’s worried eyes fixed on her. She raised her hand and ran it along his cheek as he sighed in relief. She let her magic swell in her hands as she placed them on her chest; soon she felt better and let Vilkas bring her to her feet once more. She took the potion that Farkas offered her and happily drained its contents. After she had stabilized Vilkas retrieved a head and nervously approached the group; Leilani offered a warm smile as he held the head above the flames. When the head was ablaze Vilkas shared in the pain that had plagued his lover and his brother; it was excruciating and he was glad when it was over. Leilani landed the finishing blow on his wolf spirit and then ran to his side with her magic at the ready; she rested her hands on his head and then pushed it into his body. Vilkas let her magic overtake him as he felt his body begin to feel lighter and his pain dulled. Farkas had brought him a potion and he drank it as Leilani continued to use her magic to heal any wounds the potion couldn’t.  
“Dam that hurt; but i’m fine now Lani you can stop using magic.”  
“Alright; just take it easy okay?”  
He nodded and took in some deep breaths as he looked around the tomb; he marveled at the etchings and the stories the walls contained. After an hour of resting with in the tomb the group emerged from the crypt and out into the sunlight; they decided to go to Winterhold and stock up on supplies for the trip home and stay the night at the local inn. After crossing the water and hiking up the steep incline back into Winterhold.  
After a few days travel they finally reached Whiterun and the lives they had known so well; when the small company entered the mead hall they were met with cheers and whistles. Leilani was relieved to be home but now she had a destiny to face as well as a guild to run; she let her comrades tell the story of their journey and Kodlak’s freedom while she retired to Kodlak’s study. She ran her fingers along the display cases and flipped through book pages in order to feel some of Kodlak’s presence; she knew that he would watch over her but it didn’t ease the pain any less. She set her pack down by the bed and ruffled through it till her hand wrapped around the soft leather cover of Kodlak’s journal. She took it out and set it down a the table in the corner; she retrieved two unlit candles and set them beside the small book. She then called forth her flames and gently lit the candles; she stared at the flames as she questioned her life choices and what she was to do form this point on.  
“Lani? What are you up to down here?”  
“Just making a small shrine to Kodlak; his journal is all we have left. Well that and his memories; why aren’t you upstairs Vilkas?”  
“Because you weren’t there; I know this will take some time to get over. But we have to do it together love.”  
“I know; I guess i’m just used to grieving alone.”  
“I know love; but I need to ask you a question before we do anything else. This may not be the best timing for it though; but I want to say it before anything else happens to separate us.”  
“What is it Vilkas?”  
“Leilani; I love you. And I want us to be together forever in this life and the next; I wanted to be clean before I attempted to ask you this. Now that we are free of Hircine; I wanted to ask if-”  
“Yes.”  
“But you don’t even know what i’m going to say.”  
“Of course i’ll marry you Vilkas; I couldn’t imagine spending my life with anyone else!”  
“Really!?”  
“Of course.”  
Vilkas smiled and hugged her close to him as she laughed and snuggled against his chest; he pulled away from her and cradled her face in his hands. He gently placed his lips against hers and they shared a loving kiss; she sighed and pulled away smiling.  
“I love you Vilkas.”  
“I love you too Leilani.”  
That night they spent celebrating Kodlak’s memory and the happy couple; Farkas kept making comments about kids and each time Leilani threatened to set him on fire. She chased him around the hall while others looked on and laughed; Vilkas rolled his eyes and smiled at the antics of his brother and future wife. After about the eighth lap around the table Vilkas caught Leilani and threw her over his shoulder like a bale of wheat.  
“Hey! I almost had him Vilkas!”  
“Love; you’re the Harbinger now. You could at least act like it sometimes.”  
“Well since I am the harbinger I order you to put me down so I can kick your arse!”  
“Feisty aren’t we?”  
She growled as Vilkas laughed at her frustration; she kicked and beat her fists against his back as he walked down the steps and into the barracks. He walked into his personal quarters and threw her onto the bed as he locked the door behind them; she sat up on the bed and crossed her arms over her chest.  
“You can’t just lug me around like a sack of potatoes! I don’t like being manhandled; especially in front of the rest of the guild!”  
“Then learn to act like an adult love; you’ve dealt with Farkas’s teasing before. Why are you all riled up just because he mentions having a couple pups?”  
Leilani went silent as a blush rushed to her cheeks and her hands rested on her stomach; his eyes darted from her stomach to her face as the possibilities rushed through his mind. He would have smelled her hormones change if she were with child; at least he thought he would have.  
“Love you aren’t…. Preg-”  
“No; not yet anyway. It’s just the thought of bearing your kids; it makes me really happy but until this whole dragon crisis is taken care of i can’t even think about that. The Greybeards have sent a letter urging me to come to High Hrothgar; I can’t put it off anymore.”  
“I see; well then we better head out in the morning.”  
“No; this is one thing I will not give on. I must make this journey by myself; I promise that when I return from the monastery that we will be wed. I just need to do this on my own Vilkas.”  
“But Lani-”  
“I’m not letting you come with me; I am however putting you in charge while i’m away. You will keep order here while I deal with my destiny; I promise that I will be careful and return when I can.”  
“Fine; i’ll respect you wishes. But that doesn’t mean I like them.”  
“I didn’t think you would. Thank you for understanding.”  
He approached her and then pinned her down on the bed; she was startled and struggled under his weight.  
“Vilkas?! What the hell?”  
“You are going to be punished for leaving me here.”  
“I haven’t even left yet!”  
“Don’t care.”  
Vilkas proceeded to tear the armour from her body; kissing and sucking on her neck and collarbone as he did so. She gasped and moaned at the sudden roughness of her once gentle and sweet lover; soon Vilkas had her naked and squirming beneath him as his hand found its way between her thighs. She moaned in satisfaction as his fingers pumped in and out of her and his thumb rubbed and pressed on her clit; she panted as her hips matched the pace of his fingers. Sweat was dripping from her body as she felt her climax start to pool in her stomach;her hands grasped at the furs as his fingers increased speed and hit her sweet spot.  
“Vilkas! I-i’m gonna-”  
“Cum for me love; let me see you come undone by my hand.”  
She was sent over the edge as ecstasy racked her body when her orgasm overcame her; Vilkas felt her juices coat his hand and he removed it from her core; he brought the hand up to his mouth and cleaned his fingers.  
“Tastes sweet; not that i’m surprised.”  
She blushed and used a pillow to cover her face; she heard Vilkas chuckle and then she heard clothes fall to the floor. The pillow was ripped away from her face and her vision was filled with the face of her lover; her lips were soon taken by his and she allowed her arms to circle his neck as his tongue explored her mouth. She felt his erection between her thighs; she reached for his hard shaft and began to pump her hand up and down firmly. He growled in pleasure moving his hips in time with her motions; he grabbed her hands and placed them above her head as he gazed heatedly into her eyes. He then positioned himself at her entrance and gently pushed himself inside; she moaned in pleasure and dug her nails into the hand that was holding her captive. Vilkas’s pulsating erection thrusted in and out of her at a pace she hadn’t previously thought possible; the sheer roughness of it was a new experience in itself. She was so used to him being gentle and making sure she was comfortable; this was a whole new side to her lover that she had never seen before. She felt another orgasm form in her stomach and her legs wrapped around Vilkas’s waist pushing him deeper within her; he groaned at the feeling of her tight core pulling him deeper. His movements became more erratic until they both climaxed together and his seed spilled inside her; their rapid breathing filled the room as they lay in each other’s embrace.  
“Was I too rough Lani? Are you alright?”  
“I’m fine; just a little shocked that you had that in you. But I didn’t dislike it; it’s just another side of who you are after all.”  
“Good; now when are you heading out?”  
“Probably sometime around noon; I need to get there as soon as I can.”  
“You’ll do great things Lani; and then we’ll get married and settle.”  
“Right; this is only the beginning of my story. There is more to come; I will be someone my brother would be proud of. Leilani Edenburrow; Dragonborn. My future will be better than my past; it must be…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've all enjoyed Leilani's journey with the Comapanions; this character means a lot to me and her adventures are far from over. I plan to write about her journey as the dragonborn and exposing more of her past than what we already know. Vilkas of course will be there for her as well as the rest of the Companions; I hope you stayed tuned for her future.


End file.
